My next door neighbor's kid used to display signs of extreme insecurity and anger, always acting out his agressions on whoever or whatever made him feel insecure. As he grew up, he had run-ins and fights with just about everyone within a block radius, Just my luck I lived right next door. He threw trash on my lawn, staples in my driveway, threw brake fluid on the hoods of my cars that were parked outside, and an endless litany of offenses like that. I'd go talk to his dad, since the little bastard was too young to beat up. His dad would ask him- "did you do that?", the kid would shriek loudly "NO", and the dad would turn to me and say, "Well, he says he didn't do it, I guess I have to believe him". Yeah, right, he didn't do it. Uh-huh! One time I jumped the small wall between our homes and was gonna pound on him, jail or no jail, but he ran inside and told his parents "he's using bad words"
One time the cops came over and said they couldn't do anything unless I got him on tape.
This went on for years, and it got so bad at one point I didn't know what to do, move out, or catch him on tape, have him arrested, or do the same things back to his house, but that was beneath me, I couldn't stoop to that moronic level of behavior just yet. I was having very dark thoughts, dark dark thoughts. I installed motion detectors, and video surveillence all around my house. I did get one little grainy snippet of him commiting vandalism, but meanwhile, I tried to actually do what the Bible says- "Pray for your enemies". Thats VERY hard to do when you really detest them, but I figure, if I don't try it God's way, I can't say I'm a real christian, SO, I prayed for the kid, that he would change and become a Christian himself, and then maybe all this harrassment would go away.
It got real quiet after that, something had changed. Like in Star Wars where Obi Wan says theres a movement in the Force! Only this wasn't for the worse, but for the better. Some change was immediate, and some changes took more time. People aren't usually known to make an about face in their behavior, sometimes it takes years but eventually, he seemed to make a full recovery into a normal young man, and the quality of life around here got much better, no more problems. I heard him playing some Christian music over next door, as well as his other stuff, and he comes over and talks now and then about car maintenance and stuff. Since he doesn't act that way anymore, I don't detest him anymore, and in short everyone sorta put their guns down.
Lesson is, if you are a Christian, pray for your enemies before you lose control, and things can change. I can't say it works every time, but it seems to have worked for me. I kept my cool, and had the best possible turn out.
