Although I write mainly about my life experiences as a young adult cancer survivor on my website, having cancer as a young adult is not the only major life challenge that I and my family have faced. Cancer is just what I'm open about, but there are other things that I don't really talk about, because I'm not ready for people to know, don't want people to know, or I'm protecting those who do. I thought cancer would be the big story of my life, but I was wrong. If cancer is the story you know about me, it's just the tip of the iceberg at this point. There's so much more.
The point is, you never know what people are dealing with inside, nor what they've had to face in life. It's through being open about my own struggles with cancer, that others have opened up to me about their own life struggles, and I've been shocked at what some of my friends have told me of in confidence, that even their own close friends might not know about. You just never know.
Be Kind Always, For Everyone You Meet Is Fighting A Battle You Know Nothing About
People don't act out towards others in strange, inappropriate, or hurtful ways because they're doing well in life. They act out towards others because they're hurting inside, because their pain is getting the better of them, or because they're on the losing end of their own inner battle. The only times I've acted out towards others has been because I myself was hurting inside, or on the losing end of my own inner battle, and couldn't stand to be hurt anymore. It doesn't matter where the pain came from, and whether it was my own, or what I was getting from somebody else. We act out because we're hurting inside. I've been that person, and others have been that person towards me.
Retaliation is not the answer - this is:
"If you meet someone whose soul is not aligned with yours,
send them love and move along." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
People who are hurting, don't need to be hurt even more. Take some deep breathes, realize that you're dealing with a very hurt individual, send them love and forgive them for their transgressions, and step away. The most wounded, are the most in need of love, and the most in need of your compassion. Do your best for these people, not your worst.
StevePake.com
