Ok, I have to get this off of my chest because I just heard the most disturbing thing from one of the most important people in my life. I won’t go into the details, because I will just want to punch something…hard. But I will say this:
What we say to others affects them long after the words have disappeared. Especially when it’s just plain mean.
Whether you believe that someone isn’t as worthy as you feel you are, there is absolutely no reason to speak words that are only meant to hurt. If you can’t say anything nice, then now might be the time to shut the h*ll up. THINK. Would I want to hear that from someone else? Will it improve that other person’s life if it’s something beyond their control (especially when it can’t be separated from that person)? Am I being an assh*le because of what I said or did?
This has nothing to do with religion, though some of the people who did this claimed to be religious. This has nothing to do with prejudice, though some of those people clearly exhibited the superficiality that comes with prejudice.
But this has everything to do with being judgmental, because these people who were close to us clearly exhibited this sorry behavior to someone that I love very much. This also has everything to do with being human, and being empathetic. Because empathy is the basis for fixing all of the negativity that we visit on one another. Seriously, if we are truly the social people that we claim to be then we need to understand that what we say and do has impacts on others. To not realize this is simply just plain selfish.
Because I would not wish what happened to someone I love on my worst enemies. And that person still cared enough to try to protect me from experiencing the same pain.
Now excuse me while I go find my kicking bag…because I refuse to do what these people did to someone I care for deeply! No matter how tempted I am. After all, I’m still human and it’s not easy.
