Marcus made a habit of starting each day reminding himself he'd meet difficult people, and choosing in advance to assume they act from ignorance, not malice. Most of the time, the person who cut you off or sent the curt message is tired, scared, or distracted, not out to get you. We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their worst moment, which keeps us angrier than we need to be. Offering a charitable read isn't naive; it's accurate more often than not, and it spares you a lot of needless resentment. You'd want the same grace on your bad days. Extend it first, and watch how much lighter people become to be around.

Inspired by the old idea of sympatheia. Written by Ugo Charles.