I just shared a Facebook post saying sthg like "I need to stop hating on complete strangers" lol. Or sthg like that - I didn't use hate, but it is that kind of feeling. Deeply uncharitable thoughts let's say. Mostly this happened when I am commuting to work public transport is never designed to bring out the best in people... and it really irks me when people rush past me, collide into me, push me out of the way, or block my path because their head is in their phone. I have some extremely negative thoughts, but most of the time I try and be positive because I am aware of how much difference you can make in the world simply by not being an asshole. But jeez sometimes people push my limits.
I was wondering if you all go through life like this? Like I have some guiding principle to be nice (I feel it is a bit Christian based, but you can find it in any spiritual teaching... basically even if someone is a shit to you, don't make it worse by being a shit back. Smile and stop the negative karma in its tracks). But this is at war with my very human instinct to hate them back harder. Just an aside I watched this impulse at work in hockey games I watched last night... there was very little other cheek being turned, but it did happen sometimes.
How hard do you try and be nice? Does it make a difference?