I wrestle with this question. When someone treats you in a way that you feel is disrespectful or hurtful, should you be direct with that person and tell them how they have made you feel or should you 'keep the peace' and just resolve not to have that person in your life any longer or only to a very limited degree?  Generally I would say nothing and just move away from the offending person. But recently I decided to confront the friend directly.  I reasoned this way. I value my time and my life and I need my energy to focus on all the good things I want to set into motion and being drained by negative comments, criticism and unkind remarks from people who are supposed to be my friends, will only deplete me. I also feel that telling the person that he or she has hurt you because of how they communicate or the words they used -- actually helps them get in touch with how they are interacting. I ended up speaking my mind and while I may not have been as diplomatic as I could, I feel that I cleared the air. I feel that I go out of my way to treat people with respect and understanding and I feel that I deserve the same. The ideal of course as Jesus said is to, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  I think being honest with people who have hurt you -- gives them a chance to reflect on their behavior and communication and just maybe, the next time around he or she will think about the application of the Golden Rule. This time around I chose to speak my mind and I feel that this is important in order to live authentically. I feel that this is an important part of valuing my life, time and energy. How have you dealt with unkind, critical or sarcastic remarks from friends, colleagues or family? What does your spiritual belief guide you to do?