August 3, 2008PowerPhrase ~ A distraught man entered a church…
I attended services at All Souls Unitarian Church this week. If you follow the news, you know that their Knoxville church suffered a shooting that killed two church members and injured several others.
I was deeply moved by the memorial, yet my sorrow was laced with joy that this group was able to talk about the tragedy without losing their compassion and humanity. The program leader said,
- A distraught man entered a church with a gun.
He didn’t say an evil man, or a vicious man. Even though the gunman had targeted his spiritual family, the leader had the compassion to speak graciously.
Lest you think this kind of attitude is passive and a sign of weakness, be aware that the man was apprehended because congregants tackled him. It’s possible to hold people accountable for their deeds without adopting hatred. True power takes action when needed and does not allow poison to fill our own hearts.
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What a beautiful, non-judgmental way to speak! And a very worthy example to follow. Thank you for pointing out this very positive idea.
Comment by Rhoda Friend — August 4, 2008 @ 9:48 am
Thanks Meryl. What a fascinating post. Building on this situation, I would love to get your opinion on the sort of phrases that could be useful to diffuse such a pressure charged and terrifying situation. What sort of words could help and what sort of words could aggravate, especially if the “distraught person” attempts to engage in “conversation” with you? i.e. hypothetically/”don’t try this at home”. Best wishes, Robin
Comment by Robin Dickinson — August 4, 2008 @ 5:00 pm
Thanks, Rhoda. You are more than welcome. Kindest and best, Robin.
Comment by Robin Dickinson — August 4, 2008 @ 5:55 pm