BULLIES

"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself..."
~Michel de Montaigne~

 

Bullies are a pitiable lot. Like a stampeding herd, they charge forth with volume and aggression but without any care or precision. They use big hand gestures and unreasonable arguments and scare tactics. They are confrontational blowhards. If we try to match them point for point, everything escalates out-of-control and there is no winning anywhere. So we often tend to accommodate them instead, in an effort to keep the peace. And in this way, their bully behavior is reinforced.

     Maybe we would do better to remain neutral. They bait us, and we bite, but maybe we would be better served to simply let the bait dangle and not give it our attention or our time.

 

I disempower bullies by refusing to engage with them on their terms. I remain calm and neutral.