As train tracks stretch into the distance they appear to converge. We know the two sides of a track are always at an even distance, but our eyes tell us that the farther they are away, the closer they are together. Even what we “know” from the evidence of our own eyes isn’t necessarily true. Perhaps what we “know” about other people—that they are unkind or selfish or unfair— might be as much a function of our perception as their reality.
How might you see someone who bothers you in a different light?
My dad often uses words/phrases incorrectly – mispronouncing them, incorrectly translating them, using them in forms that don’t exist, etc. It really irritates me, partially because I like order/correctness and partially because I end up using words incorrectly when I hear them that way too many times, especially when I don’t hear the correct form as often. I tend to correct him in a way that shows my irritation, which leads to him feeling attacked.
The thing is, he’s probably not doing it to hurt me. He knows that I don’t like it and that I have problems with German, but he’s probably not doing it because of this but despite of it. He probably thinks he’s just being funny and that I’m overreacting. Knowing that these corrections aren’t actually going to change his behavior, I should keep them silent.