“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, dramatist, novelist, philosopher and scientist.
I just started reading this in class and the response has been pretty strong as it seems to resonate with a lot of you. I’ve found myself not only drawn to the application of this in relation to those that really challenge me (or am quick to judge or dismiss), but also to how I treat myself (in thoughts and actions) – Are you treating yourself (and others) as you/they are or as you/they ought to be???