Look for the Good in What Others Do

Once, a kind woman put a peaceful statue on the street corner to spread kindness to others. One day, a hard rain was coming down, and a poor man who was walking by thought that the statue might get ruined, and he wanted to cover it. Having only a few possessions, he took off his old tattered shoe and placed it over the head of the statue. When another person came by and saw this, she thought, “How rude that someone would put a shoe on such a peaceful statue!” and she knocked the shoe right off it.

All three people had good intentions.

Oftentimes in life, people around you (yourself included) have the best of intentions, but your actions just conflict. Next time you have a miscommunication of any sort, take some time to step back and evaluate the potential positive intentions behind what others do.