Marcus, dealing with difficult people daily, told himself to expect them, to remember they act from their own confusion, and to stay gentle rather than meet harshness with harshness. He did not pretend others were never wrong. He simply decided that being decent mattered more than scoring the point. In a tense season, this is worth holding. The urge to win an argument, to correct, to have the last word, is strong, and it almost always costs more than the win is worth. You can be right and still lose the relationship, the evening, your own peace. Today, when you feel that pull, ask whether being right is really what you want here, or whether being kind would leave you, and them, in a better place.

Inspired by the old idea of response not reaction. Written by Ugo Charles.