A post I read today by Jonathan Hagger resonated strongly with me in that it dealt with "turning the other cheek".This is a difficult concept for many of us to come to grips with, since it demands what feels like a totally unnatural response from an incensed and aggrieved individual to the perpetrator of an injustice perceived or real.
In the church community to which I am happy to belong there is an individual whose prime objective in life appears to be upsetting and causing offence to as many people as possible in any one day.
The first time I was the object of such an attack, my response was swift and unthinking. Angry and unaware of having said anything in any way provocative, I fired back on all cylinders giving as good as I had got.
After the "fiery angel" had departed slamming the door almost off its hinges, there was a brief silence, then, to my amazement a howl of laughter from the two other people in the room.
"Oh dear", said one of them, "you will know better next time".
Understandably annoyed, I asked what on earth they meant, and further, what had I done to deserve it.
Nothing at all they said - almost in unison - you were just in the line of fire and when this particular person is on a 'mission' the only sensible response is none at all.
After witnessing the same treatment being meted out to other unfortunates, who were perceived as easy targets I began slowly to see a pattern emerging, and over quite a long period of time, have learned to accept that this particular individual has no idea of the hurt, anger embarrassment and sheer unpleasantness they create and that the only possible response is indeed silence.
It is not easy when a particularly sharp stone is hurled at you, on a vulnerable day to maintain an air of total indifference, but it does work, and over a period of time can become your response to all attacks/slights and has also the great merit of leaving you with the moral high ground.
It is with a bit of hard work, possible to see that the problem lies not with the victim, but with the attacker.
