*Featured image contains photo by Timur Weber
Everyone has bad days, and everyone goes through periods of turmoil and hardship. And, as much as we try, we can’t always control our moods when things are getting the best of us.
Sometimes we act in ways we later feel ashamed or embarrassed about, which makes it all the more meaningful when someone gives us the benefit of the doubt.
Like how the person in this story did one random day when a stranger became upset with their driving.
Why One Man Yelled at a Stranger
In an anonymous Facebook post shared across the social media platform, one person recalled an unexpected run-in they had with a stranger while driving one day.
“Tonight I frustrated someone while driving,” they wrote. “They followed me to the gas station and had a few choice words for me.”
The person detailed how they didn’t really know what they did wrong. Perhaps they cut this man off, or maybe they were driving too slowly. Whatever it was, the man wasn’t interested in discussing it.
“I was really unsure what I did wrong. I began to ask if he was ok and what was wrong and if there was anything I could do to make him less angry,” the person continued. “He stormed off, and I wished him a good day.”
How One Stranger Responded to Anger With Kindness
That’s not the reaction everyone would give a stranger in that kind of situation. In fact, the person who originally wrote the post acknowledged that they, too, probably would not have acted that way in the past.
However, they made the choice to try and understand why this stranger was reacting the way he was and recognized that it wasn’t necessarily because of them.
RELATED: Angry Stranger Yells at Man Carrying His Daughter – What Happens Next Brings Them Both to Tears
“Typically, this would not be my response, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve dedicated myself to 'Seek to Understand,'” they wrote. “There was something else wrong. Nothing I did driving could make him this angry.”
Less than an hour later, when this person returned to their truck in the school parking lot, there was a note on the windshield.
“I am sorry,” it read. “My mother just passed away, and my emotions are not right. Please forgive me.”
The Importance of Knowing When to Say Sorry
This post has been shared countless times online, with thousands of people commenting. Some shared their own experiences trying to give someone the benefit of the doubt, others recalled times their attitudes were less than kind to strangers because something was weighing heavy on them.
At the end of the day, so many people are sharing the post because it’s such a relatable human experience. Trying to look beyond a situation and understanding why someone is reacting the way they are is a hard thing to do, but we all need that kind of compassion sometimes.
On the other side of the story is a man who took the time to apologize because he knew he wasn’t acting in the nicest way. No one is perfect, and we can all lose our tempers sometimes, but how we respond once we’ve cooled off also matters.
So the next time you’ve wronged someone or acted out of hand, be sure to take the time and apologize. And, if someone is treating you strangely for no apparent reason, just remember that we don’t always know what someone else is going through. Try not to take it personally and seek to understand.
