“More suffering comes into the world by people taking offense than by people intending to give offense.” Ken Keyes
I ran across this quote recently and it supports the thought I have been having (those are the quotes I like best, the ones that validate my own thoughts!). My thought is that people, and I am a people, seem to be predisposed to being offended. That is, our skin seems to be thinning. I won’t pretend to understand this, but have some thought that it has to do with the fact that our “soapboxes” are both anonymous and so readily available, and our egos are fed by joining in on a landslide of public opinon. Had a bad meal at a restaurant, a bug in your hotel room, felt cheated by a mechanic – just post something about it anonymously on any one of many sites that provide review opportunities. Read a ten-word headline about some recent action by some egotistical, bombastic guy elected to public office – form an opinion without knowing the facts. The exchange of information is not necessarily a bad thing, but taking offense, particularly as the speed of a cell phone grab and type, at the speed of a knee-jerk reaction, may say less about the offender than it does about the offended. Perhaps all might be better served if I attempted to gather more information before jumping to a conclusion, or noted my disappointment to someone in a position to address the concern and possibly rectify the situation.
It occurs to me... 