When other people talk, it’s simply information. It’s showing us where they’re operating from in that moment. It is merely a snapshot in time- similar to a blood sugar reading, or the weather in Arkansas. It may be completely different in 3 hours, or even 3 minutes.
When we’re triggered by what someone else says it’s usually because we’ve positioned them above us in some way. We believe that they have inside information, special knowledge, or that they know what’s best for us.
It could also be from growing up in an environment where it was not safe to differentiate; where everyone had to feel, think, and act the same way.
Perhaps we can listen/observe, then run it through the filter of our experiences, bodies, and intuition to decide if it feels true for us. We can (and should) take the best, and leave the rest.
If we want to overachieve, we can even be grateful that they introduced us to a new perspective, or chose to show us an aspect of themselves that not everyone has access to.
It is safe to entertain new ideas. It is safe to disagree. It is safe to change how we think or feel about something.
It is safe to grow and evolve.
Photo: Columbia, SC March 2020
Anatomy of an Awakening 