Don't Let Others Fool You

It SO goes to show that you can't trust how things appear. A man APPEARS to have it all, yet feels like he has nothing to live for. Fame, fortune, talent, opportunity, respect from seemingly everybody. And yet it meant nothing to him because of whatever was tearing him up inside.

Friends and family who APPEAR to be fine, who laugh and function outwardly, may be just hanging by a thread. Because most of us are good actors, we can fool each other. We ask “are you well?”, and answer “I'm great.” But sometimes we say it even when we're not great, and we just don't know how to ask for help.

It’s true for people we LIKE who appear to have it all together, but are struggling to keep going. And it’s true for people we dislike, who APPEAR arrogant or critical, but are really just sad and don’t know how to deal with it. I hope it might be to treat EVERYONE we encounter as someone in need of our love and support. No matter how they act!

Anyone we meet could be hanging on by a thread, and the way we treat them could be the final straw, tipping them over the edge, or else picking them up and helping them to see some light. We ALL carry this responsibility every time we interact with anybody. It sounds crude, but how would you treat someone you knew was on the verge of suicide? You would encourage and support them with all your strength. So do that with everybody in every situation, just in case, no matter how they're acting. Choose love and encouragement, as if a life depended on it, EVERY time.

Make space in your heart for everyone. Put aside petty conflicts and dramas. They don't matter in the scheme of things. And don't assume anything because of appearances. Don't let others fool you, don’t buy into their projections. No matter how they act, everyone needs love and support.