“When a person offended we said to ourselves, ‘This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done.’” (Page 67, Big Book)
Someone recently said to a friend of mine something like, ‘I take offence at that’ or ‘I find that offensive’.
One could reply with the above quotation, although that would constitute retaliation, which is prohibited.
It’s interesting that the book therefore uses this as an antidote not just to resentment and anger but to offence.
Whenever I’m saddened, disappointed, outraged, or offended, I’ve got the same striking problem as when outright angry or resentful. ‘I’m offended’, ‘I find that offensive’, ‘I take offence as that’ say nothing about the world; they merely indicate that my character is need of improvement, that I am reactive and maladjusted, that I need help.