We’ve stopped using “soft” words.
Words such as
compassion,
gratitude,
grace,
hope,
forgiveness.
More often we are using “hard” words.
Words such as
responsibility,
discipline,
consequences,
hustle,
drive.
First, we stopped using soft words
with ourselves,
thinking
this would be an answer to
our inner turmoil
and
our desire to be successful.
But the less
compassionate
we were with ourselves,
the less with were with others.
The harder we were
on ourselves,
the less forgiving
we were
with others.
We found the hard words
easier to say
and
to live by
even as our
inner and outer
turmoil
increased.
Now we wonder
why we cannot have a
civil conversation,
why work is so fraught with anxiety,
why our relationships are brittle.
Maybe the soft words
are actually
the hardest words
of all.