Is anyone in your life, to put it mildly, a pain in the rear end? Maybe it's your stubborn boss, narrow-minded neighbor, or obstinate father-in-law. The reason many people tend to be difficult is because they have trouble seeing things from a point of view that diverges from their own. To them, the sky is blue and can never be gray. Open-mindedness is simply not in their vocabulary, let alone their repertoire. What's worse, these very individuals are often reluctant to concede they're wrong even after realizing it. Egocentricity often goes hand-in-hand with intransigence. So what is one to do about people who have such a hard time being flexible in their views and opinions? All we can really do is make an entreaty for them to consider our perspective. If, however, it goes in one ear and out the other, then nothing will change until they come to the realization that others have a right to differ in their outlook -- and that their take merits consideration a...