If you're like me, you struggle with how to INTERACT with others who seem so hard-hearted (edited)

[kentauros]

29. Maybe I'm just too tired to read (and comprehend)

but I didn't get very far into your link due to reading a whole lot of semantics. That may very well be that person's point of view, but it's not mine. What I see, is that suffering needs to be diminished. How one goes about that (so long as it's a positive method) isn't really important. The goal is no suffering or poverty or inequality. Any method is good due to the outcome. If someone is second-guessing my intent, that's also their choice and out of my control. In fact, I will state that it's always the choice of the recipient as to how they are going to interpret any offering to diminish their suffering. I'm not going to judge a person, but if my offering is refused, I'll just give to someone else. If I am judged for trying to be nice, well, again, that's their choice, and I'll just move on.

Thankfully, I've only been judged for being generous on DU. In person, that doesn't happen. People are genuinely thankful. Now, before y'all get the idea that I'm massaging my ego with the fact that people thank me, that's not it. I'd rather give anonymously, but even there, systems are set up to give thanks for the offering. I post online mostly anonymously to share my knowledge so people can use it (or ignore it.) Is that helping or serving? Or, is it offering something intangible that can be turned into something tangible (such as cooking/baking knowledge) that eases suffering?

I still find the "easily offended" odd in that they'd rather refuse something that could assuage their suffering for a few moments because it doesn't do anything for their plight in the long run. Well, that's just one part of the whole. I can't discuss the topic with those that can only see one part.

Perhaps this would do well to quote here, and I have no idea where I heard it, only that it's somewhat known:

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

I know it's related to the spiritual topics we discuss and hold dear around here, and could amend it with any verbiage on the order of "especially when those parts are positive in nature." The whole being, the eradication of suffering. Anything that diminishes that in the slightest is a good thing in my book