Throughtout your life, you encounter obstacles and perceive battles. You will meet people who disagree with you, who express themselves as if to taunt you or challenge your principles, values and inner peace. You may ask, "what is it with that person?" Yet, they continue efforts to discourage or bring you down. They have an axe to grind.
Your reflex may be defensive. You may act to prove you're right and they're wrong. You may have had it 'up to here' with their attitude, jealousy or anger. Yet, how often do you decide conflicts are not worth the energy? When do you nod and smile, send sincere love and forgiveness or, deliberately turn away? Choose your battles carefully.
One perspective of the honourable thing to do would be to turn your back on provocateurs, to walk away or, to ignore them. Choosing not to be disturbed by criticism, scepticism and misunderstanding, is a way to raise your energy vibration.
When people approach you and seek to pick fights, you have options. You can baffle them by choosing to agree with them. You can behave in ways that do not permit them to disturb your peace of mind. As you do, they cannot drain your energy. In fact, they go away to bother someone else. Like-minded people are drawn to you instead.
Nonetheless, you will still encounter situations where learning or applying assertiveness is warranted. Only you determine when the result you desire is worth your attention. Worry, fear, anxiety need not be perpetuated. That would dissipate positive, beneficial energy. This is useful as it raises your awareness, prompts inner expansion and growth.
Amidst your relationships, you will learn what it feels like to encounter opposition. You will also have opportunities to strengthen your inner self and opportunities to discern the service you can bring to another. If you choose to vent negative energy, then this is a disservice, and an emotional cyclone. It obscures or distracts you from true priorities.