Humankind – also known as, people. Say what you will, but people are both amazingly fantastic and terrifyingly horrid, it all depends on your perception don’t you think? Martin J. Ashton once said “Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.”, Always be the better person, and always find the positivity in the situation – it’s the only way to make it. People are by far some of the most complex creatures that roam Earth, arguably the most complex. We can love and hate, boundlessly and simultaneously drown ourselves in self-pity and indulge in pride. It’s quite paradoxical if you think about it. Hence why, you should simply just be you, and be understanding, be kind.
With the world as it is now, with dreadful things occurring all over the globe; the death toll rising, crime increasing – I can see where it would be easy to hide in the darkness of it all and have no faith that it’s going to get better. Realistically, it might not – but it’s not all always bad. “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light” (shout out to all the Harry Potter fans out there!) Here are three things to keep in mind when it comes to people.
Be kind:
People can often be what we call ‘two-faced’, wherein their personality or behavior differs per their situation. It is painful to watch someone so close to your heart, change so swiftly without a second thought. Perhaps, they are going through something of their own, or they don’t even realize the change and it’s their true colours that you’ve unfortunately come to witness, a little too late. It hurts, it feels like they’ve ripped out a piece of your heart every time another hurtful sentence spews out. However, in these situations – take a breath, realize that reacting with aggression or more negativity will hurt you more. So, do yourself a favour, and walk away from it. Guaranteed that will also hurt, but overall – you will thank yourself for being the bigger person because it would have done you good and made the other person rethink their stance and behavior towards everything.
Say how you feel:
As people, we are both blessed and cursed with the entity that is emotion. Sure, it’s great because it gives you the ability to love and empathise, as well as hate and hurt ever so deeply. Showing emotion is one of the greatest gifts people are granted with; to tell and show your loved one’s affection, to empathise with those who are in pain to help them and so on. Some may not show it as much as others, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing – but it’s always nice to assure people that you love them. You never know how great an impact you have on them, and how warming it would be for them to hear that. Having said that, don’t hold back either. A trapped emotion is like a negative ball of energy that will vibrate at various frequencies thus resulting in the infliction of pain. Do not, contain how you feel because it will not lead to anything good. Unless of course, you have a valid reason (then again, that depends on you). Be careful. It’s too complicated to be simple enough to handle, be delicate, be wary. Don’t hurt yourself by trying to protect others, or ‘save’ others – you cannot save someone that does not want to be saved.
Finally, be unapologetically yourself, and fearless about it:
This is probably a somewhat common advisory statement… and kind of cliché as well, but it’s the truth. The whole ‘wanting to fit in’ with your society, is natural. But that does not mean compressing your personality into a box that you don’t fit into. Understandably, it’s terrifying to go to a new place and meet new people – what if they do this and what if they do that, blah blah, forget about that. The right people will love you for you and nothing else. There is absolutely no need to try to be like someone else, that person else already exists so why are you trying to be a carbon copy? People come in and out of your life for a reason, to teach you a lesson or to remind you of something – sometimes, they are temporary and sometimes they are permanent. Be yourself with all of them, regardless. This one is self-explanatory. Don’t be afraid.
To conclude, these are just things to keep in mind when dealing with people – you do not have to follow any of them because it is your choice at the end of the day. But like I said before, with all the horrific things happening in the world – be a shining light or a ‘bubble of positivity’. Someone may need it more than you know, so spread love instead of hate. People will learn to love more, someone has to be responsible for that.
