This practice comes from peace advocate, author, and Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, in his book, Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames. "There may be times when you are angry with someone, and you try everything you can to transform your anger," he writes, "but nothing seems to work. In this case, the Buddha proposes that you give the other person a present. It sounds childish, but it is very effective. When we're angry with someone we want to hurt them. Giving them a present changes that into wanting to make them happy. So, when you are angry with someone send him a present. After you have sent it, you will stop being angry with him. It's very simple, and it always works."
In partnership with our friends at Spirituality & Practice, we are sharing practices to help us all “practice democracy” from the inside out. Visit Spirituality & Practice's The Practicing Democracy Project for more practices and a wide array of resources.