“He has a story,” she said. “Aren’t you just a bit curious about it?” With one question, she rehumanized the man. Compassion welled up in my soul as I began to wonder about his life’s story. Had he been bullied at some point? Had he, perhaps, been a victim of abuse? And how powerless must he feel inside to so aggressively overpower the people he loved the most? Our default mode when we deal with difficult people is to demand repentance or to devise fix-it strategies or to offer insights to straighten