In my culture, being a Jewish Iranian, we are thought to respect our elders. This means what ever an elder or a parent says, we don’t respond back. But we had that wrong.
Let me explain. My mom would say things to me that I would not agree with. In fact, they would really bother me. Following my religion, I kept my silence which was a double-edged sword. On one side, it would build anger and resentment, the other, a false sense of happiness that I am keeping God’s Will. Inside though, a Volcano was forming. Eventually, I would erupt and let out everything that was bothering me at that moment and everything for that past few years including interest.
But the Commandment in the Jewish law says “Respect Your Parents”, not, “Don’t Talk To Your Parents”. If I would communicate with my mom as things would come up, I would not need to burst. Not to mention bursting hurts the feelings of the person one explodes on and carries guilt after all is done and over.
My advice is, Talk to people who are hurting you. Don’t let it pile up and spill all at once. Many times the person giving the heart ache does not know this is even happening. Keeping all these feelings inside can also be selfish, it keeps the other party in the dark.