The Strongest Heart

 

I often see people posting on social media about the importance of being kind. It is phrased around the concept of, “You don’t know what people are going through,” or, “The Golden Rule.” What I have found most interesting is that, oftentimes, these people are not calling for more kindness as something they themselves practice, but as a deep cry to be the recipients of it. I have even looked into people that were being cruel or leaving hurtful comments on posts, only to find that they have “anti-bullying” content all over their accounts. 

I think most people would simply call this hypocrisy and leave it at that. Make no mistake, it is hypocritical. But there is something more than that. If we look a little bit closer, we see children crying out to be treated in a way that they themselves lack maturity enough to duplicate. They cannot be kind. They cannot act with tenderness, forgiveness, or understanding. Yet, they want to be treated that way. Something in each human being throughout time knows that we ought to be good to one another. But we fall short of our own standards and values all the time. This is not due to a lack of awareness of what should be, but rather a lack of awareness of its true deep importance in our own lives. 

I’m extremely observant and can usually see what other people need in their lives, whether it is self-love, rest, protection, to leave an abusive relationship, or just to eat. My struggle has been to be able to then turn around and see those things in myself. Sometimes, I will sit down with someone who is weeping over the pain of a past mistake or struggle. I will lovingly tell them that they need to be willing to forgive themselves. I will be able to reassure them that they are loved and worthy of love. A few hours later, however, I will be in agony over my own issues and unsure of what to do. 

When we call out to other people to be kind and understanding, are we calling out to the world and saying that we need someone to be kind to us? Are we revealing our fear of being judged when we speak about acceptance? Are we feeling unloved when we talk about the importance of loving others? 

I know it can be frustrating to see mean people telling the rest of the world to be kind. But the reality is, true kindness, true love, are not weak. They must be strong. Very strong. Because these things cannot be dependent on other people in order to exist. If love was dependent on the worthiness of humanity, then the world would be without love of any kind. But it does not depend on others. Choosing to love people means loving them and seeing them where they are, for who they are in that moment, all while knowing and believing that they can be more. 

So, here I am calling out for people to be loving, not according to what you receive, but beyond that. And, yes, I am asking for that kind of love, too. I want to be loved beyond me. I need someone to see me and remind me of who I am even when I lose sight of myself. I need to be forgiven when I make a mistake. I need understanding when I do something that doesn't work out well. I need people in my life that know who I am enough to know that when things don’t go right, it wasn’t done maliciously.  

Love. Always. Even when they cannot. A person that can do that is the strongest kind of human.