Marcus wrote that the best revenge is to not be like the one who wronged you. When someone is unkind, the pull is to match them, to let their behavior set yours. But your character is one of the few things truly in your keeping. You can't make another person fair, yet you can refuse to let their unfairness turn you cold. This isn't about being a doormat. It's about deciding that your decency belongs to you, not to whoever happens to be rude today. Honestly, some days you'll fail at this, and that's okay too. The aim is just to come back to it. Today, let someone else's bad behavior be theirs, not a reason to abandon your own.

Inspired by the old idea of virtue as the only good. Written by Ugo Charles.