On Being Offended

I am not really the type of person who gets offended easily. I may not like something someone says or does as it pertains to me, but I do not usually take offense.  I don't even like the word because it seems everyone takes offense to something these days. Dictionary.com defines offended as " to cause resentful displeasure; irritate, annoy, or anger".  And, wow, was I all of those things last night!

Thank goodness it was late and I was too tired to retort back in any type of fashion. This morning, as I sit here applying my yoga tools to the situation, I have had to evaluate if action on my part equates to change in what I perceive as someone else's ignorance. And the answer is definitively no.  Many of my yoga themes talk about choice.  We can choose to have a good day, we can choose to hang on to or release anger... Most importantly, is that we can choose our reactions.  I chose to be mad last night. And what happened as a result is a comment played over and over in my head like a VCR stuck on a movie clip. And each time it replayed, I got more and more upset. I thought of responses and reactions but none of them made me feel any better. I finally went to sleep.

This morning, I choose to not be offended. I choose to reclaim my energy. I choose to continue on my path and let those who have judgmental and offensive comments to make continue on their path. 

There are a lot of quotes and opinions on the Internet about being offended. They range from get over it to give it right back. It is our responsibility to draw upon the tools we have and take responsibility for our reactions and ensuing actions.

“You may not be able to do anything about how you feel; but you can do something about how you act. People will definitely offend you willing or unwilling by their words and actions...but you can choose to let that offence sink you down or not....”   ― Israelmore Ayivor