Cruelty is an everybody thing...

I really wish that more people felt this way. When I say I wish people felt this way..I don't mean just saying it..but living it, and doing it. None of our hands are completely clean when it comes to this because we have all done or said something cruel.

More than that we have all been the victims of cruelty at one point in time or another. It is something I have always known, but it has really been in my face over this weekend. I don't know why it is...but people are just so cruel. Hurting others has become somewhat of a sport for so many. Doing and saying things that have only one purpose....to cause pain. Some things that people do can literally change someone's life. We have become so unfriendly and so relaxed about how we treat people that so many of us don't even realize the gravity of the pain they might be causing.

I watched and episode of Intervention that really got me thinking. It was about a beautiful woman...who had some pretty big problems. In one scene she was walking down the street and some guys yelled out some hurtful things. She went home and started cutting herself, and I mean it was BAD.

It really made me think about how we talk to other people. To us some of our actions and words may not seem like a big deal, but you just NEVER know how it could affect someone else. They might already be in so much pain that your words were the thing that put them over the edge. It's scary to think about that for me. I want to have an impact on people's lives...but I desperately want it to be a good one, a positive one, something that people will have a good feeling about. The thought that in one careless and cruel moment you could bring somebody that low is a lot of responsibility. But it's not responsibility for other people, it's one for ourselves....we have to take responsibility for ourselves and the things that we do and say.

It's not just overweight people who are victims of cruelty either and that is something I tend to forget. Just because someone has the perfect body and is at the perfect weight doesn't mean their lives are perfect. People that don't have a weight problem are not void of family problems, or bad friendships, or any of the other daily stresses that we deal with.

When your on the receiving end, pick yourself up and move on. Even though it hurts, try not to let other people control your emotions. I struggle with that one because I take things so personally. Odds are that when your a target it's the person on the other end who has a problem and they just don't know how to handle it other than to push it on to others. Misery loves company, but we don't have to live that way. What doesn't kill you really DOES make you stronger! I have really learned 2 things. #1 is that even though it can be really hard..."killing with kindness" really does work. It proves that I am not going to let negativity affect me or my goals, and I feel like a good person when I can be polite and sweet and kind to those who have hurt me in one way or another. I know it's the right thing to do..and this way my conscience is clean, I know I'm doing the right thing. Also most of the time people do mean things to get a reaction out of you..to see it hurt you the way they wanted it to. When you smile and remain kind, it not only confuses them, but the act of giving them no reaction can make someone back off. #2 Use it to your advantage! I take the comments or actions that really bother me and use them to my own advantage..as my motivators. Yes it is kind of like an "I'll show you attitude!", but I figure that's ok...turning a negative thing into a positive one has to be a good thing!

It doesn't matter who we are..whether you are tall or short, fat or skinny, rich or poor....

Cruelty is an everybody thing.