I hesitate to even write this...which is ironic. But I've been thinking quite a bit lately about what threats are, why certain things or people threaten me, and what about me (words, actions, even body language) threatens others.
Right now, wherever you are and whatever you're doing, call to mind something recently that made you feel defensive, that "got your goat," if you will. And let's do an examen of sorts with that moment. What was it, exactly, that put you on edge? Why was that particular interaction, personality, experience, conversation--whatever--problematic for you? (And by "you," I hope every reader realizes most authors write for themselves!) What did you hear the other person saying, believing, implying? What nerve did that strike in you?
When we are threatened by something, there could be a very real and imminent danger (such as racism, homophobia, aggression, or any number of violent realities). Those aren't the kinds of things I have in mind today. Instead, I have the kinds of things that are not a real and imminent danger--things that present themselves to me to teach me that something in my life or perception is out of whack. The big, scary Wizard of Oz was neither big nor scary in reality--it was simply a regular person hiding behind a curtain pulling levers that capitalized on fear, ignorance, need, and pain.
It may serve us well today to consider whether, when someone's opinions set me on edge, they aren't just a visage of my own fear, ignorance, need, or pain.