Currently listening to Richard Kings - Shufai

Whether we are a brand or just an individual living his or her life, we are bound to face some Controversy at some point in our life. 

Big controversies like the case of the H&M hoodie controversy and the Nike ad controversy that occurred this year 2018 got a lot of people in their feelings and these brands received lots of attacks and criticism. 

What if we were on the other side of a controversy. What if it was us that the world was against? 

What if it was us receiving the criticism and attacks for something we did innocently or maybe knowingly?

Controversy is defined by Google as prolonged public disagreement or heated discussion.

Related: How To deal With Disrespectful People

The one you choose to use often may be linked to your personality. Some people are more confronting while others may always choose to walk away.

I am the kind of person who prefers to avoid controversy in any way possible. I hate conflict and confrontations because I'm always asking myself "what will happen after this fight or dispute?". I'm always scared that the exchange of words or certain reactions will spoil the relationship between us. So I have always avoided controversial situations. 

But we can't always be a hundred per cent careful can we? Even when we are there is still some controversy that takes us unaware or meets us right where we run to. 

And no matter how much we walk away from it we can be forced to confront the situation. 

Confronting can either be verbal or mental. You can confront a controversial situation by addressing it verbally or by dealing with it mentally.

Whatever way you choose, remember that your sanity is all that matters. If you feel more comfortable with walking away and dealing with it mentally then know that it is not a weakness because it takes a lot to walk away without lashing out.

If you prefer to go verbally then remember to keep your calm which I know is very hard to do. But it helps to be as calm as possible. 

There are some situations that need a verbal address and others silence. I always stayed silent but at some point, I decided to start verbally addressing certain situations and people so that some lines are not crossed. 

Then I guess I started speaking too much when I found myself in controversial situations. I wanted to talk back every time - justifying, defending, or just explaining myself. Which worked at times and only made the confrontation longer or worse in other times. 

This got me asking myself if it's really worth explaining or clarifying. Isn't it better to just walk away, avoid or stay silent during a controversy? While it's easy to say yes to this question, it's also to access the situation and know when to address people when they are crossing the line.

These days, as long it doesn't affect my sanity I don't confront or address a controversy. But if I feel the need to make it clear when someone is crossing the line then I won't hesitate to let them know. 

At the end of the day, even controversies come to an end and are forgotten over time. Don't make it the centre of your life by letting the controversial situation define you. There are other things that make up your identity so focus on those other things and move forward.

How do you deal with controversy?