Sometimes people in our lives are out to get us. It's good to know who they are and get some idea about why that happens. Over time, I have experienced this. Sometimes this has been the result of my own misguided actions, other times I have not owned any part of the situation, and of course, as in most situations, it's some of another person/people and some of my own doing.
How do you know when a person is out to get you? There are many signs including the tone of their voice, facial expressions, and/or their words and actions. Often people out to get you will bait you looking for a response. Recently that happened to me, one of those people made a strong statement that they knew I would disagree with then looked at me for a reaction. I chose to ignore the statement as I knew they were baiting me and I knew that the issue at hand was a deep, complex issue that could never be resolved with a short, impromptu conversation.
This one person has very different political and life views than me--that is not necessarily bad or good, but different. I do believe there are many ways to live life and think so I am open to the variation that exists. I've noticed people take all kinds of routes to good living and I know I don't have the monopoly on that.
I do believe this particular individual's struggle with me has more to do with ingrained myths and prejudices related to my profession, gender, upbringing, personality, philosophy and ideas. While I don't disrespect the person described, I also don't understand much related to his life choices, profession or experiences as they are far outside my knowledge, experience and interest. I've not had the opportunity to truly sit down and listen to this man's story over time, yet we're often placed together in social events. Also, in many ways, I believe this individual sees life as a contest rather than a continuum. I try to steer clear of the contest metaphors for life as I believe they don't hold enough room for all of us. When we're stuck in superlatives, we don't give attention to the vast diversity life holds, variation that doesn't rate one as better than another, but instead sees us all as different and unique.
So in the days ahead, when someone is out to get me, I'll simply be as respectful, kind and caring as I can be. None of us will relate well with everyone, and when people rub us like a coarse sandpaper, we have to let our edges be refined by using their critique to assess and better ourselves in ways that we believe in. Onward.