BEING KIND TO DIFFICULT PEOPLE –
Some people are going to hate you (part three)
When I was in grad school, I was assigned a book by Dr. Brian Weiss. Dr. Weiss is a psychiatrist who "discovered" past life trauma in his patients. (Okay, stop rolling your eyes. There is a point here.)
One thing that stuck with me is that human beings interact with each other on a soul level.
In his research, he found that souls were incarnated together. In other words, adoptive parents often knew their adopted children in past lives. People who'd been married for decades often knew each other in other lives. Family groups were incarnated together or found each other. Ancient enemies knew each other upon sight.
Before you tap out here, think about it. Have you ever met someone who you didn't trust from the moment you met them? Have you met someone that you just knew and loved the moment you met them? The moment happens and "boom" -- you know this demon or angel or stupid idiot or beloved friend or...??
(As an aside, all of this was a part of Christianity before Vatican I when the mystics were kicked out, the Orthodox churches split off, and Revelations was added to the scripture. It's still a part of sects of Judaism, Islam, and Baha'i.)
SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HATE YOU.
There's not one thing you can do about it. You can't make them not hate you. You can't make them see reason.
They feel the way that they feel because of their own soul damage or simple idiocy or racism or religion or... Who knows?
They hate you because they do. That's it.
What can you do?
All you can do is love them. Yes. It's hard.
But all you have to do is love them.
Decide what you'll put up with and what you won't. Set up boundaries so that this person cannot injure you. And send them love.
Will your love impact them? No. You're not loving for them. You're loving because you're a loving person. This is the work of love.
So love that ex. Love that mother-in-law. Love that step-mother. Love that person that you hate the most, not because they deserve it but because hating them will kill you (raise your blood pressure, stop your creative verve, keep you from your path, etc.)
What do you think? Is this doable? Is there a situation you've done this in?