Consideration….

Tonight, I’m sitting here, and I’ve had several possible options run through my head (as always) for what to write.  And I have only one overriding thought that it staying in my  head.  My ego wants to write another angry blog about drama, but that’s not going to help anyone.  And while I am angry (very much so) at the moment, I am still trying to find a much more functional way of dealing with it.

I can’t say I have always been the most considerate person in the world.  In fact, I was told to be considerate, but shown how to be extremely selfish and inconsiderate.  It is still something I fight every single day.  Especially on days like today.  And when I’m having to deal with drama (including my own), I usually wind up thinking about consideration, whether or not we think about how our actions and choices affect other people.

Consideration was something that was verbally hammered into me as a child –  “Think about what you’re doing!  Did you stop and think about how that would affect…..?”  It was hard to take coming from my family.  Consideration was not their strong point.  Yes, they did have their moments, but they were fleeting.  In fact, for most of my life, almost every single person I have met has preferred the negative, dark side of me to the side that does try to think about others.  It’s not really a surprise.  Most of us are so used to the negativity of others that we react badly to the positive.

But just consider for a moment – what would happen if we all started thinking about others first?  How would our actions and words affect them, and in acting towards others in a considerate manner, how would our world change?  When I was working at the call center, if I saw someone I was reacting to negatively, I would make a point of finding something to compliment them on.  It’s much harder now that I’m working in a store, and even more so with the daily theater.  But I still try.

Consideration for others is very simple.  If you wouldn’t want it done to you, don’t do it to anyone else.  If you would like more “nice” from others, then be nice to others.  If you want your children to be considerate to others, teach them by example.  That’s the only way they will learn.

Being nice isn’t always easy.  But in the end, it’s the only thing that’s worth it.