We May Be One, But None Are The Same

I have the most difficult time maintaining my composure and pleasant personality when dealing with uppity people. The kind of snobbish attitude that values stature and material superiority to genuine kindness and real character. I won't ever understand the prioritization of things and money over all else. And for that, I am wholly relieved.

My vocation has given me the somewhat unique experience of interacting with individuals from nearly every walk of life. The level of service I provide is never based on where someone falls in socioeconomic brackets, nor ethnic background. How engaging I am is dependent on the character the person in my chair choses to project, though I will never cut a service short or be blatantly rude. There needs to be a certain amount of tolerance in order to maintain my professional integrity and reputation.

While I have been able to effectively stave off external reactions to what I find to be shortsighted, shallow behaviors, I want to do more than just keep calm. Avoiding being affected at all is unlikely, but being able to at least let what I cannot understand and see as selfish and petty fall away without much impact on my balance would be a good start.

I know that it takes all types of people to make up the world we live in, but it is trying to let go of what I see as right without holding someone else up to those expectations. Where is the line between acceptance and complacence? At some level are we not beholden to one another simply for humanity sake? Of course, the question then becomes how do we agree on what should or shouldn't be valued and exemplified?

Maybe just stepping back and recognizing that we are individuals is the first step. From there, I've chosen to surround myself with like-minded people who value at least a fair amount of the same things as I do. Complete agreement or exact lifestyle is far from necessary, as I more than appreciate the unique attributes my friends and family bring to my life. It is the people I come in contact with sporadically, that I find I have the most issue with my own internal assessments. Judgment is unavoidable. Civility, however, is not.

Regardless of where I think I ought to be in my own personal growth, my feelings or judgments do not provide me placement over people I do not respect or agree with. I am entitled to disagree, though to minimize the effect on that person or anyone else, setting my feelings or ideas about them aside until I can process them alone is likely best. Nothing good comes from fueling fire with explosive energy.

The things that vex me...yes, this is an actual sample of the things that occupy my consciousness.