Older and Wiser?

As are getting older, we are getting wiser. We have observed many things; youth and age, success and failure, health and sickness, high position and low position. We have seen cycles of fashion and ideas come and go. There is no need to rant and rave about every event; no need to complain about this person or that person. Things are not so black and white but rather shades of gray. Situations and people are always more complicated than surface appearances. If we condemn too quickly we make ourselves look foolish. Therefore we become slow to condemn and quick to forgive. As Steven Covey once remarked "seek to understand before you seek to be understood."

Think of an individual or organization that has upset you. Write an email to them saying that you understand the situation. For example, has the oil leak made you upset at BP? Don't swim with the crowd; be counter-cultural. Instead write BP an email thanking them for their efforts and encourage them in the difficult work it is to extract oil from the ocean floor. Has a public servant annoyed you? Tell them you understand how difficult their job is and encourage them in their work. Have you experienced poor service in a restaurant? Tell them you understand the pressures they are under and thank them for their efforts.

If you do this, notice how this makes you feel.