A medical doctor on the social media has listed reasons not to feel offended by other people’s perception of who you are, especially those who live outside the country.
@JajaPhD has replied to another post by @Melo_Malebo who revealed that he had been oblivious to a relative’s insult and the relative has been affronted because he wasn’t feeling insulted.
His post had read: “I discovered a life hack by accident. A relative insulted me, and I missed it. I just kept being nice to him, so he insulted me again. He ended up stopping the conversation to let me know I was supposed to be insulted. It bothered him that I didn’t react. You know what…?” @Melo_Malebo posted
“Let them own their nastiness, you don’t have to accept what they throw at you.” He added.
The medical practitioner however gave instances where he had never allowed other people’s utterance pull him down especially his white-skinned patience.
@JajaPhD: “A white patient called me a “nigga” and I burst into laughter. He then repeated it and I laughed harder. He asked why I wasn’t offended and I said that I’m Nigerian. He then asked me to go back to my country on the monkey boat I came on. I found that funny too and laughed some more. He asked why and I said that I came on an airplane. I always remember the interaction because by the time I walked away, he was very offended by my laughter and that I wasn’t offended. I learned a lesson that day.
“On a different day, another patient said something to me and I carried on. So, a colleague interrupted and apologised on behalf of the patient. I was told that what the patient said was racist and the patient was told off. I always remember this because I didn’t even know that the statement was racist. If my colleague isn’t interrupted, I would have carried on without knowing that I was supposed to be offended by the racism.
“These experiences were years ago. I no longer suffer fools. I can’t remember the last time a patient was racist to me but I would shut it down immediately.” The doctor concluded
@DazylingQueen had also opined that being in control of one’s emotion is key: “What you discovered is priceless: sometimes, not reacting to negativity or insults is the most powerful response. When you choose not to engage with the negativity, it disarms the person trying to provoke you. It shows that you’re in control of your emotions, and their attempts to provoke you ultimately lose power!”
By; Adeoye Olorunseun Elizabeth
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