Transcendental

I wonder if people ever step outside of themselves and notice the inconsistencies between their words and their actions.

We are all beings of imperfections. Nothing that we say or do will ever be perfect. We strive to achieve perfection in ourselves. Reaching for the best to make even the smallest steps in life seems like an extraordinary accomplishments. There is nothing wrong with reaching for greatness; but we have to remember that perfection is an illusion.

If we know that no matter how hard we work or how much we achieve, we will never be perfect, why do we expect others to achieve the impossible?

I'm often depicted as "too nice," looking beyond others' past mistakes and believing that people are not their actions and bad decisions. Everyone has the power to change and grow from who they once were. There are some people who are comfortable with their current state of being and don't desire to change, but that doesn't mean we must treat everyone as such. We are all in the same hell, battling different demons. Your battle will never be the same as others.

When it comes to people we love, watching that battle unfold becomes a difficult situation. We have seen their ups and downs. We even notice their strengths before they do. When your family/friends are in the middle of a battle, we want them to tackle this fight head on at full strength before they are mentally ready. In that moment of passionate love for them, we began to try to dictate their battle as if it is our own. What works for one man will not always work for the next. We have no right interfering in a fight that's not ours.

Often control is mistaken for advice. You think that you're helping by getting stern and yelling, forcing opinions upon them, and even becoming infuriated when the situation is not handled in a way that we would handle it personally.

Now take a minute and think about one of your most difficult battles you've had in your lifetime thus far.

Do you remember how you felt?

Do you remember how heavy your internal sorrow was?

How physically weak that mental battle left you?

You may have even felt as if there was no hope in sight but you masked a smile to get through the days. I want you to really channel that feeling.

GOT IT?

Now, think of someone in your life that you love dearly whose actions you are disappointed with. You only see the outside, the mask they chose to get through their days and hide their pain. Bright smiles or uncontrollable anger, we all wear different masks. We all handle our battles differently.

Those who smile to the world and cry behind closed doors are treated with sympathy and compassion. It's almost as if this painted smile is looked at as a purple heart of some sorts. They are consoled for smiling and tackling each and every day positively despite their battle.

Those who walk around with hostility in their chest and steam coming from their nose are ridiculed and attacked. Some may call them weak or unstable for expressing their emotions this way. These cruel words and disapproved looks make that intense sorrow and feelings of hopelessness worse than it already was.

Why is one mask accepted and understood and the other isn't?

Remember your sorrow and pain?

Which mask did you use?

Were others accepting of it?

How did people make you feel when expressing your emotions?

Did the thought "I will never treat someone like this during their battle" ever cross your mind?

Did your words and actions add up just now?

Everyone, smiling or yelling, is dealing with something in their personal life whether it be mentally or physically. Some people are fighting small battles every day and we are none the wiser.

Subconsciously, we all look for answer to life's questions in others, whether we speak on it or not. Some people are slightly more sensitive than others and they hold on tightly to people's words. You don't know who the super sensitive people are. It could be the person who chose the anger mask for their emotional expression. You've yelled at them and called them a weak individual. They now feel smaller and even more useless than they already felt. If that was you, would you even want to continue to fight that battle?

I don't care if I'm depicted as "too nice." That means I'm putting my feelings and opinions aside and considering the feelings of others no matter what mask they wear. I'm looking deep down inside of them at the warrior that is pushing through this battle with everything that they have. I don't think it is fair to praise and comfort one mask and belittle the other. It is not fair to judge or hurt people on their emotions. We are imperfect beings; we aren't going to always like how people handle situations in life and vice versa, but that doesn't mean we should make the situation worse for the next person.

Stop thinking of how you feel or what was done to you by the next person in the past. We've all been hurt. Think of someone else's feelings for once. Think of their life.

We aren't always going to get along or understand each other; but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Let the past disintegrate behind us and focus on paving the way for a more positive; unified future.

Be someone's sweet words of encouragement, not their added pain and sorrow.