A little bit of tact goes a long way. Tact is not about finding the right words to say, it's about having the right attitude. If you say something insensitive and perhaps even hurtful, it's not because you misspoke, it's because your attitude sucks and you just failed to cover it up. It's because you have no respect for the other person's dignity. You need to put yourself in that other person's place.
Sometimes, however, you try your best to take the high road by being humble and considerate toward others only to be accused of the very things you made a point to avoid. So what's the point of being tactful if it only gets you accused of being the exact opposite? Well, with most people that would not be the case, but with these kinds of people it's a no-win situation. There will be a small minority of people in your life who will find fault with what you say no matter how you say it and that's because they've already made up their mind against you. Everything you say will be offensive to them because they are closed-minded.
This was true in today's Gospel reading when Jesus spoke with humility, basically saying "I am nothing without God my Father." The crowd accused Him of being just the opposite, presumptuous and arrogant, because they already decided that they did not like anything He had to say. At the time it may have seemed like the whole world was against Him and there may be times when your consideration or respect toward others seems wasted. But don't let that small minority of people influence your outlook toward the majority. Don't let them be the reason you choose to stop being a decent human being. Don't let them get under your skin and ruin it for everyone else.
John 5: 17-30
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