When I was a kid, whenever I would get upset about stuff at school, whenever I would say “so-and-so is mean” or “Sister is being a butthead,” my dad always replied in the same way.

“No one can make you feel anything unless you let them.”

I called “bullshit.”

My reaction was the same every time he said it.  “BULLSHIT AND WHATEVER.”

If someone does something shitty, I REACT.  I react hard, and usually I react ANGRY.  Anger is my go-to emotion.  I like angry.  Angry is safe.  Angry is mental jet fuel, and it pushes me past and over all the crap that stands in my way.  To say “no one can make you angry unless you let them” was just crazy talk. I was SURE of it.

except…  I’ve been thinking.  And I think I’ve figured something out, and I think I need to share it with you.

I think that he might be right.
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