Today’s Thought: Keep a Leash on the Reaction Button

Reacting to a stimulus is built into our human species. Our early ancestors reacted to protect themselves. In contemporary society, reacting to a stimulus is both good and bad. It’s good, for example when we jam our brakes to avoid hitting someone. Or, we see someone bleeding and react to help the person. It is bad when we react to relationship issues where we haven’t given ourselves a chance to understand what we observed or heard. Reacting in these situations may give us some instant emotional gratification but damage our relationship. Entering into a dialogue to understand is difficult and requires great patience and tenacity. A dialogue, however, holds the promise of greater understanding and healing.