Tenderness is Our Superpower So Dust Off Your Cape

Seeing as how nearly everyone the world over has had the weirdest, most confusing, most stressful past few years anyone could never have even dreamt up, it’s a good idea to take it easy on people.

Be gentle on others. Give people a break, even if you don’t think they deserve it.

Seriously.

I mean, no matter anyone’s take on things, this shit has taken its toll in so many ways.

And that’s part of the problem, isn’t it? People don’t see things as you or I believe they should.

What I mean is…

It’s possible that some of your friends and relatives appear to have lost their mind over the last few years.

Maybe people you thought you knew have landed squarely on the other side of what appears completely obvious to you. Maybe you can’t believe someone you know and love is so gullible.

Maybe someone’s succumbed to this or that rhetoric.

Maybe their politics aren’t what you thought.

Maybe they’ve changed their views in ways you didn’t see coming!

And honestly, all that’s okay.

​The news media doesn’t want you to think that’s okay, though—they want you scared. They want you to think great harm is coming your way. They want you to think about worst-case-scenarios only.

But it really is okay that people aren’t doing and thinking what you and I believe they should.

Things to consider

1. We’re each on our own journey, running our own race, walking in our own shoes.

Respect this, even when you’re sure someone’s making a big mistake.

(Also remember what Ram Dass said: “We’re all just walking each other home.” So gentle. So tender.)

2. We only see through our own eyes.

The way we interpret what we see is a reflection of ourself — and that reflection shapes what we see.

Every time, no exceptions.

This is why we can look at, hear, and experience the exact same thing as someone else and come to different conclusions.

And no one — not one of us in the entire world of eight billion people — sees through a feeling-less, neutral lens.

Respect this, even when you’re sure someone has it all wrong.

Also, remember point # 1.

3. I’m not the first to say that we’re spiritual beings having a physical experience.

And based on my own one-person experiment, this rings very true — I’m pretty sure there’s more going on here than meets the eye.

I even feel like ordinary interactions with others are often spiritual than not. (Not in a weird way — just in a deep way.) We can put things in perspective when we set aside our pig-headed ego and simply realize how much more than human bodies we actually are to each other.

4. Recognize that whether we want to be, or not, we’re all products of our environment.

No one is free of familial, societal, and cultural conditioning.

In fact, our conditioning is all part of the human-experience package.

Being right doesn’t win anyone heavenly favor

Just because we disagree with someone and can put forth superior arguments doesn’t mean we’re the smart one — or that this even matters.

And even if we’re all kinds of right and someone is completely wrong, that doesn’t make us the better, more deserving, more righteous person.

It should be obvious that life isn’t a competition, but sometimes we forget that the Good Lord, All That Is, the Great Spirit doesn’t love anyone extra for being right.

It’s easy to assume otherwise, but we’re all doing what we can, whatever level of informed or misguided, educated or not-educated, common sense or lack-thereof, and no matter what socio-economic box we hang out in.

Guard your tender heart by not coming down too hard on people — the energy we put out is returned.

And as Ohio State Senator Nina Turner says, “Be hard on the issues but soft on people.”

Because even when we manage to divide ourselves up, we’re all still sittin’ right here on the planet together.

Changes and challenges

We’re all baffled to some degree, we’re all bracing ourself for whatever comes around next, and we’re all at least a little alarmed.

It’s not just you.

It may feel good in a mean-girls way, but ultimately, it doesn’t pay to fall for the media-driven divisions. (It will never pay — and the divisions always start with the media.)

Deep down we know we’re not the boss of anyone but our own lil’ ol’ self.

If you or I were in charge of everyone, maybe we could fix a few things, but we’re not and never will be in charge of anyone but our own self only.

It’s so easy to fall for the lie that half the country and half the world is out to get you. Recognize that this is the media’s power move — they’re mercenaries, and fear is what they peddle. They don’t actually care about you.

Meanwhile, we’ve got neighbors and coworkers and relatives and people at the grocery store and in the post office and all around our life who crave kindness and tenderness just as much as you and I do.

So remember, of course, that not only is your heart tender, so is everyone else’s.

Keep it shiny, keep the faith, stay the course.

Human-to-human is where it’s at, and tenderness is our superpower.