you can only measure emotional selfishness in bad times / racism is a system, bigotry is an attitude

[belenen]

icon: "voltaic (photo of me with rainbow reflections on my face, leaning my head at a sharp angle and staring intently at the camera)"I can't bear selfishness, especially when it kills empathy. If you can't care about someone else's feelings when you are angry at them or hurt by them, what good is your love? NONE. it is USELESS. And I know that

Comments

[call_me_katya]

I had a situation recently. I felt hurt by a friend's actions [not SF]. I cried a little and decided that just being normal with them would be spineless of me. I wanted them to feel as hurt as I did. I wanted to wound, assuming that was the only way I could make my presence felt. I was going to an event that they would be attending and worried all day how I would make them understand how badly they had made me feel.

Just before the event, I bumped into them in the street. It was so unexpected, so outside of any scenarios I had already thought through that when they said hello I was just incredibly surprised, blinked and said hello back. We fell into step together companionably and chatted normally [although by unspoken agreement we did not discuss the issue], and hung out for most of the evening at the event. The next day I wondered if I'd been weak, not making a point of trying to hurt them. Then I read this and realised that my natural reaction, my true reaction was just to get along with them, and show them that I cared. Thank you for helping me to realise I wasn't being weak and 'too kind'.

[belenen]

Thank you for helping me to realise I wasn't being weak and 'too kind'.

*love*