[General Discussion Thread] How we relate to our enemies in our daily lives

I know that sounds like a really funny question, but I'm actually dead serious!
During all my years from elementary school through high school, there was always one kid who was just a total thorn in my side, who I thought was a total, absolute jerk. And even though that kid may have gone into a different class or rode on a different bus, there always seemed to be another creep who came along and took his place!
No matter what, or no matter who, it seemed like I was always doomed to have some total jerk making my life miserable in school.
Until...
One day I had something of an epiphany. What if I'm the one with a problem?! Am I making a bad situation worse somehow? I'm certainly not saying that I was actually the jerk and the other guy wasn't (heaven forbid!). But...what if somehow I've gotten used to the idea of having a "bad guy" in my life? Have I gotten just a little too used to having a "thorn in my side"? Instead of allowing myself to be provoked into an argument or throwing insults back, couldn't I have just ignored the jerk?

Maybe the whole question has larger philosophical implications in terms of the whole world, and the human race at large! What if we all somehow, at least on some level, need a "bad guy," or an "enemy," in our lives? Is this where humanity's problems with race, religion, and political partisanship have their roots?!

Another thing also recently occurred to me:
In my opinion, the reason why some people so easily take offense at what other people say is that they're extremely angry and antagonistic, and they're just looking for an excuse to lash out and berate those other people.

Granted, the thing that was said may be genuinely offensive and in very bad taste, but the point is that that some people need some way of channelling their negative energy and actually need something to be against on a regular basis.

It's a vicious circle, in other words...

I'm certainly not saying that things some people say aren't offensive, or that other people don't have the right to be angry about them. It's just that sometimes it's so easy to find purpose in being outraged, regardless of whether or not it's actually offensive or not.

In other words, it's all about the mindset of the offended!

This isn't meant to be political or partisan in any way. Although while we're on the subject, I'm very much a liberal and never, ever voted Republican in my life. I'm just not insanely PC, that's all...

Thoughts? Opinions? Comments? Offensive remarks? I welcome all of them! I certainly hope it's a subject worth at least a small amount of discussion!

Or am I just totally full of it?

 

Full of it




Everyone is always going to meet someone who is the complete polar opposite to you (you usually end up marrying them but....)



How you deal with that individual is entirely down to your mindset.


If you as a person gets wound up easily and have a short fuse, the slightest thing will set you off, however a more laidback person will be able to take more grief before they snap (and usually with more catastrophic results)



Some people have strongly held beliefs and others don't really have a set of beliefs other than be good to one another etc...


Comms has shown recently how easily a percieved slight against a belief can offend and cause problems. Is this in the mindset of the individual or just a natural defence mechanism against me and mine?


To be honest I will always defend something that I believe in regardless how strongly I believe however
How strong I battle for that belief is dependant upon how important it is to me.



I'll protect my family to my death if I have to, I protect my parking space with two fingers and some verbal abuse.

 

Every man is his own emporer. Even the most docile of men protect their interests and their feelings.

It's only natural.

For instance Bin Laden is thought of as a monster though I'm sure that those around him love him. He's probably a pretty good guy to his people though he's a monster to ours.

Like a crying mother in court, crying for her son who will be in jail for the rest of his life. Nevermind the woman he raped and killed, he was always such a sweet boy to her right?

We see the world from ourselves.

 

i think people who easily take offense are sometimes not used to their argument being examined. or their opinion. it can be arrogance to assume that whatever you think is best, but i think opinion is always informed by yourself, there is no way your opinion and preferences aren't.

i'm not sure if we all need a thorn in our side, but it's certainly a part of forming our identity, to think who we are *not*.

not sure this is of help.