There are some people in my family who are...well, let's just say difficult. I have an uncle who is a fox-news-watching, tea-party-rallying, Sarah-Palin-loving republican (gasp!). He likes to assert his opinions as fact and pick fights with the more liberal members of the family (namely my mother).
I suspect that what he really wants is to connect on some level. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to do that. He reminds me of the schoolyard bully who doesn't know how to make friends. Try putting your arm around the bully and giving him the affection he so desperately needs and you are likely to get punched in the nose.
It is difficult to practice compassion with people who are not prepared to receive our empathy. Sometimes the best we can do is to accept them as they are and take care of ourselves.
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