Am I Who You Say I Am?

Who am I when what I hold near and dear doesn't reflect or confirm the goodness that I know I possess? How then do I hold fast to a self-concept that I've carefully constructed, guarded, and protected? What character must I possess to know who I am in spite of what others believe? Can it be enough that I know who I am?

In "Le Miserable", Jean Val Jean doesn't insist that people understand that he is a good and kind, honest and trustworthy person. He doesn't insist on convincing anyone. And people mistreat and abuse him terribly. He is cut off from people who he's loved with every cell in his body. People he has sacrificed and suffered for. Is it enough that he truly was good, kind, honest, and trustworthy? What did he tell himself?

Where does selflessness end and self respect begin? When is it important to speak your own truth without fear, and when is it better to just let it go.....

The careful dance of caring for others while respecting oneself is a great mystery that is not without pain. It holds no set of instructions, and a heartbreaking variety of possible outcomes. Loving people brings all the richness that life can hold, while it twists your guts and makes you wish you could stop caring.

It is better to be kind.... it is better to be kind.... it is better to be kind....

Be kind.