Strong?
Sunday, April 1st, 2007How strong are you? How do you take defeat? How do you maintain your integrity and not be swept away by feelings of hopelessness and emptiness that creep up every once in a while? How important is it to be strong for yourself so that you don’t crumble to the demands of times, the pressure of society and with the sacrifice of your heart and emotions?
I have discovered through experience that being strong can only mean one thing: to still be around tomorrow; ‘around’ in meaning to have your sanity intact, to have hopes alive, to be able to love the people around you and to honour their love for you. It is during your weaker moments that you really feel challenged to be strong; when you feel you’re all alone; when you feel no one understands you; when you think you’re headed for the worst; when you feel betrayed by people you love most. I have gone through this phase and sometimes these moments still leave me choked.
But is it wrong being strong? At least by not breaking down every single time there is a sense of defeat? I wonder if it is necessary to let everyone and by that, I mean every single soul, around you know that you’re going through a bad time. Wouldn’t that just be seeking too much attention and how productive can that be in building yourself to be strong from the inside?
People who appear strong are always mistaken to be needless of support. They may appear strong but have you ever thought how strong they really are? Everybody needs others for support. The perception, "So-and-so is strong enough to get through this. Just leave so-and-so alone", is nothing but a naive frame of thinking. That’s called pre-judging, when you have not heard first-hand what the person feels and needs; not listening first. It shows how much you really do ‘care’.
Can there be real care? Can there be real thoughfulness? Can there be real sincerity?
**Taking my work seriously, taking myself lightly**
**It is not wrong to be strong as long as people still care. To be strong is doing yourself a favour.**
