What People Should Do

We all want people to do what they should. This person should be nicer; or he must apologize to me; that person should have sent me a thank you card for my gift; that guy should be more respectful; this other guy should try harder.

Here’s the reality: Humans, throughout history, have not done what they should and most likely, they will not do that in the future either. All this expectations for people to start doing what they should do is really a way of resisting reality. It not only causes a lot of suffering, but also prevents us from enjoying our relationships.

Here’s a better strategy: accept the way things are now and work from there, acknowledging that people can’t read our minds, and everyone thinks they’re doing the right thing. We must move from debating reality to accepting it. Arguing with reality only hurts. Instead, free yourself to accept people for who they are, remove your expectations of what they should do, and get in peace with them again