thebibliosphere:

butlerbookbinding:

thebibliosphere:

Baffles my mind that you can make a comment like “please be a little kinder” and people go out of their way to do the opposite. And it happens all the time.

The other day I reblogged something affirmative and people went out of their way to be mean and point out the world is cruel. Like cool story fam, I know it is, that’s why I go out of my way to try and not be, because maybe if I do, the world will be less crueler for someone else. And why would you not want that.

“Oh it’s just a joke, lighten up” nah. How about you raise the bar and stop mistaking cruelty for cynical wit. How about we try that, cause honestly I’m done humoring the nastiness of others.

Some people seem to need to see someone else being miserable in order to feel good, and that’s both really sad and hella annoying, because not only have they been socialized to be cruel, but they refuse to acknowledge it and try to be kinder??

And I get that it’s easier to be mean sometimes, I really really do. I’m not just sitting here spouting empty positivity platitudes for brownie points. For one thing my positivity is not empty, but is instead derived from years of painful mental and emotional self examination and growth.

I was raised by people who thought the phrase “cruel to be kind” was an open license to go hunting and destroy people’s self worth in the name of being “honest”. I survived years of emotional and mental abuse, and do you know what? It didn’t make me kind.

It made me cruel, and bitter and jaded. It made my humor cruel, and bitter and jaded. And it took me a long time before I was able to realize that, and even longer to be in a place to deal with it and be able to objectively look at my shit and decide to do better.

And it’s not easy. Some days are easier than others, but most are not. There are times when it would absolutely be easier to tear people apart until there was nothing left. It’d be profoundly easier to deal with this blog by being able to lash out freely…but then this blog wouldn’t be what it is. And I wouldn’t be who I want to be either.

It’s hard gods damned work to be kind. And that people mistake that kindness for naivety or stupidity is honestly so exasperating because I know you.

I know who you are, and I know you’re scared and you think in order to keep the world from hurting you, you need to lash out first.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

And it’ll hurt like hell, my Gods it will hurt. But it’ll be worth it. Promise.

So be kind, you fucking fuckers. It’s worth it in the end.