I will begin by assuring you that this is not a political post. This post is about asking all of us (including myself) to take a step back to look at the bigger picture.
The inspiration for this post came from Facebook. Over the past few months, I have noticed an increasing number of statuses focused on the upcoming political election. The majority of these statuses are benign. However, there have been a few posts that have left me uncomfortable for lack of a better word.
The statuses/comments that leave me uncomfortable are those that belittle, degrade, lambaste, or ridicule others for believing in or supporting a particular candidate or cause. Yes, you may argue with me and state that everyone is entitled to and has the right to express his or her opinion (especially in a public forum such as Facebook). However….when have we crossed the line?
This, my friends, goes well beyond the upcoming presidential election. There have been a few times in my life that I have been belittled or ridiculed for expressing something that I believe in. I am sure that this has been the case for at least one of you. The statement usually sounds something like…
“YOU are stupid/naive/silly/crazy for saying/doing/believing/looking like that.”
As a therapist, I have sat with people who have had some form of that statement directed at them. These are some of the hardest sessions for me. The sessions are hard because I can literally feel the pain that my clients have experienced on account of that statement. The pain is real and is sometimes not easy to brush off.
The point that I am trying to get across this morning is that words can and do hurt. Maybe this post is just a simple reminder for you (and myself) to be mindful of what we say and how we say it.
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