Question: “I work at a fast-food place and I find it hard to be compassionate when customers are being rude. What can I do, so that I can see these people in a better light and not be absorbed by my anger and hurt?”
I want you to take their anger and serve it to me on a plate. With a side of rudeness. You can’t! Because it’s not really there. All feelings and emotions are only false perceptions of your mind, they are there because you allow it to be. If your mind doesn’t have any anger, then anger externally doesn’t exist!
The Three Poisons in Buddhism are ignorance, greed and anger, eradicating these poisons brings us to peace; to nirvana!
There’s no way for you to make people not angry and rude, it’s going to happen to anyone, anywhere no matter who you are or where you work. The solution is training your mind to see these as temporary, false feelings. Unless you’re psychic, you probably have no idea what 99% of the people you interact with are going through. We are all human, which means we all have good days and bad days, and most people let their bad days become bad attitudes and it affects the people around them. But you can be one of those people that it won’t affect if you train yourself to simply accept the anger and negativity and let it pass. It can’t affect you unless you allow it to.
This is no easy, overnight process. It will take time, lots of time. I’m still in training! But like the clouds in the sky that come and go with different shapes, sizes and colors, so do emotions and feelings, so why cling to them?
Smile and be well!