To Be Offended or NOT!
I could be wrong about what I'm about to offer you, I'll let you decide for yourself. As I observe the surrounding world through news, social media, and stories that I hear in general conversations, I see many individuals seeking to be empowered and yet in their empowerment they often seem to fall victim to the opinions and criticism of others. Or when an individual doesn't agree with one's opinion they often, as I witness it, take offense, and frequently feel compelled to fight back or to speak back at the individual who spoke the initial criticism.
Now, this could go a few ways. As I write this blog I do so with an open mind and a sense of mystery about the subject. I'm going to offer you a couple of options – all based only on my opinions, and you get to decide whether I'm full of *it* or that I might be on to something.
Option one: When someone says something to you and/or about you and you find it offensive you can say something back to them putting them in their place and challenge their opinion. Of course, this brings more of that same kind of behavior and the tit for tat can be quite uncomfortable for most people.
Ken Keyes said in his book, The Handbook to Higher Consciousness, “Whether you take offense, or give offense, you are the offender and the offendee.” Think about that for a moment.
Option two: Someone says something to you that's unkind or critical and you look them in the eye and say out loud to them - that does not work for me, or I am not buying into your criticism or OUCH! Or, you say anything that you believe will let them know that what they have just said was in some way offensive. What does this do? This lets the person know the impact of what they've said immediately. I’m sure you, too, can see value in this because it keeps everything real and authentic. And face it, most individuals are clueless of their impact upon others.
Option three: The third option, as I see it, is to live a life where we take full responsibility for ourselves, take full responsibility, if and when we are offended, and take responsibility for how we react to the intended offense – no matter what was said. Consistently taking offense is the greatest way to give up our self-empowerment. When we take offense, we have surrendered our personal power. To not take offense, to not react, and to not acknowledge the possible offense seems to me to be the most empowering option or maybe a combination of option and two, which would look like this: Let the individual who spoke against you know that their words have an unkind intent and still not take offense.
Words have power, this is true, but only when we breathe life into them. By breathing life into them I mean – taking offense. Not taking offense removes you from the path of harm.
What do you think? Which option works best for you? Are you ready to be free?
Photo Credit: Keira Burton
