Do I find this person difficult? Or do I find this person's VIEWS difficult?

Was last Wednesday a hard day for you? It was for me. It was difficult and challenging to watch people storming the Capitol building in our nation’s capital. 

As much as the events of the day may have evoked emotions from me, I also found myself extremely sensitive to the many posts and comments that were coming through on social media. 

Politics can become heated very quickly. Many of us avoid having these discussions with people we spend time with because we want to protect the connections we've made in our minds about them. When someone’s thoughts and opinions are so far out of alignment from our own, it can be disappointing, perhaps even alarming. It can be difficult to learn that a person you know and care about has very different thoughts. 

In facing challenges, or challenging people, it’s helpful to allow yourself time and patience to work through the process; to recognize where you are, and are not, in alignment with others. 

Ask yourself: 

Do I find this PERSON difficult, or do I find this person’s VIEWS difficult?
Is there anything I can or should do about it?
How will doing so serve my - and their - greatest good?

I don’t have the answers to these questions. Each case is different. I am still sitting with a lot of the events of last week. I’m still unsure of how I feel about some of the reactions (or lack thereof). 

I know how uneasy it makes me when I feel that my opinion doesn’t matter or hold value to people who mean something to me, so I do try to be open and listen when people share opinions I may not agree with. 

I DO know that I have the option to walk away from things that may be triggering.
I have the option to turn off my screen.
I can release what no longer serves me.
I can pray.
I can meditate.
I can hold space for others.
And, no matter how challenging it may be to do the work, I can connect with my inner solace and peace, knowing that my inner climate (what’s happening inside of me) seeps out into the outer world.