17.15 When speaking, don’t just be truthful, be helpful
Have you ever wondered whether telling the whole truth is always the best approach, especially if it might cause unnecessary hurt? Or have you noticed [...]
16.4 Two Reasons Why People Are Regularly Rude
Have you met people who are regularly rude? It’s not that they’ve had a hard day— being with them makes every day a hard day. [...]
Don’t just condemn the demonic; contemplate how they became demonic
Greedy people often do things for the sake of money that most decent people hesitate to do. Greed can lead people to become not just [...]
How not to approach religious differences?
When two people have difference of opinion over some issue of faith, be they of the same religious tradition or of different religious traditions – [...]
When people behave strangely…
Just because some actions are inconsiderate does not necessarily mean that they are unwarranted or inappropriate. When someone behaves in a way that does not [...]
Why people think we are disrespectful
Just because something is obvious to us doesn't mean that it has to be obvious to everyone else. To use the word 'obviously' can come [...]
See beyond harsh language
Just because we don't endorse someone's language doesn't mean that we can't empathize with their feelings. Sometimes some people express their concerns in language that [...]
Why words hurt
What some people consider friendly banter, others consider to be beastly torture. In this world, different people perceive things differently. And sometimes someone who might [...]
Might we be narrow-minded?
Narrow-mindedness means to think that what matters to us must matter to everyone else. Most of us, if asked, would not consider ourselves to be [...]
Cut people or cut people some slack?
Don't cut people because they are slack. Cut people some slack. Whenever someone doesn't live up to our expectations, it is natural that we become [...]
Why understand a wrongdoer
Understanding a wrongdoer is not justifying a wrongdoing; it is simply evaluating whether the wrongdoer is reformable or incorrigible. When someone, a person, or a [...]
Giving others what they deserve is not love
Love means to give others what they need, not what they deserve or even what they desire. When we try to show our affection to [...]
When compassion discourages instead of encouraging
When we wish to be compassionate to others, we may not realize that we might be unintentionally discouraging them instead of encouraging them. How might [...]
How to see addiction with compassion
Whenever we see somebody suffering from addiction, unable to give up some indulgence, even when it is harmful to them—harmful to their loved ones—it will [...]
What is emotional maturity?
Sometimes when a person starts crying or lamenting or wallowing in self-pity when something goes wrong with them, when something they need or want doesn't [...]
Why humility is a vital ability
Humility is the ability to ensure that our ability doesn't take over our identity. When someone possesses an extraordinary ability, they can very easily become [...]
The transformative power of deep listening
When we are conversing with someone about a subject close to their heart, we can connect better with them through deep listening. Such listening enables [...]
How to make judgments without being judgmental
Making judgments is a functional necessity in life. We need to make judgments about the kind of people we want to befriend, the habits or [...]
Three benefits of hearing open-mindedly
When someone disagrees with us, especially on an issue that is important to us, we may feel threatened. Consequently, we may hear them primarily to [...]
The difference between compassion and compromise
Suppose we are building a staircase to a scenic spot on a hilltop. Suppose we make the steps so big that people have to pull [...]
Two aspects of compassion as seen through our speech
Suppose a doctor sees a sick person and decides to offer free treatment in the form of an injection. Suppose further that the patient has [...]