Being assertive is being able to communicate with other people clearly. If y

Being assertive is being able to communicate with other people clearly. If you felt that you had expressed what was important to you and allowed the oilier person to respond in their own way then, regardless of the final outcome, you behaved assertively. It is important to remember that being assertive refers to a way of coping with confrontations. It does not mean getting your own way every time or winning some battle of wits against another person. In practice, assertive behaviour is usually most likely to produce a result which is generally acceptable to all concerned, without anyone feeling that they have been unfairly treated.
    Assertiveness is often wrongly confused with aggression. An aggressive confrontation is when one or both parties attempt to put forward their feelings and beliefs at the expense of others. In an assertive confrontation, however, each party stands up for their personal rights, but each shows respect and understanding for the other’s viewpoint.
    The reason why assertiveness may not come naturally is that we often tend to believe that we must talk around a subject rather than be direct, or that we must offer excuses or justification for our actions.
    In fact, we all have a right to use assertive behaviour in a variety of situations. We are often schooled early in life to believe that sometimes our own need to express ourselves must take secondary place. For example, in dealing with those in privileged positions such as specialists, we often feel that speaking assertively is, in some way, "breaking the rules". Everybody has certain basic human rights, but often we feel guilty about exercising them.
    Passage 8
    One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. Little George cut down his father’s favorite cherry tree while trying out his new hatchet. When his father asked him about it, George said, "I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my hatchet." Instead of punishment, George received praise for telling the truth. Sometimes American honesty—being open and direct—can offend people. But Americans still believe that "honesty is the best policy."
    Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesop’s fable about the turtle and the rabbit that had a race? The rabbit thought he could win easily, so he took a nap. But the turtle finally won because he did not give up. Another story tells of a little train that had to climb a steep hill. The hill was so steep that the little train had a hard time trying to get over it. But the train just kept pulling, all the while saying, "I think I can. I think I can." At last, the train was over the top of the hill. "I thought I could. I thought I could," chugged the happy little train.
    Compassion may be the queen of American virtues. The story of "The Good Samaritan" from the Bible describes a man who showed compassion. On his way to a certain city, a Samaritan man found a poor traveler lying on the road. The traveler had been beaten and robbed. The kind Samaritan, instead of just passing by, stopped to help this person in need.
    Compassion can even turn into a positive cycle. In fall 1992, people in Iowa sent truckloads of water to help Floridians hit by a hurricane. The next summer, during the Midwest flooding, Florida returned the favor. In less dramatic ways, millions of Americans are quietly passing along the kindnesses shown to them.