I am happiness.
I am sadness.
I am empathy.
I am anger.
I am the wound.
I can also be the wounder.
I am lost
But I am also found.
I am thirst,
And I am satisfaction.
I walk with my head down sometimes,
And other times, I hang it low.
What am I?
I am human.
I am kindness.
I am pain.
I am drowning,
And I am saved.
I am pure
But I am also impure.
What am I?
I am human.
Sit with me in all of these,
Not just the ones that make you feel safe.
Not just what is convenient for you.
Because what you are to me,
I can also be for you
Not because it’s a trade,
But because…
What are you?
You are human too.
Now onto some reflection:
Performative Empathy vs. True Empathy
If you can’t tolerate emotional discomfort in others that isn’t really practicing empathy. That's practicing emotional selectivity. True empathy is about sitting with others through a range of emotions, not only engaging when it feels good or convenient.
Emotional Convenience
There is an unspoken expectation in some people that others should be emotionally "easy" to be around: upbeat, funny, non-needy. But that turns relationships into transactional exchanges: “I’ll be here for you as long as you don’t burden me.” That’s not empathy. That’s curation.
I'm Not Obligated to Be Pleasant for Others’ Comfort
I'm allowed to have down days. That doesn’t make me difficult, it makes me human. And while it’s true that people aren’t obligated to support me in those moments, it’s valid for me to notice when someone seems to only want the “convenient” version of me. That’s not neutrality, that’s avoidance.
Boundaries vs. Dismissiveness
There’s a healthy way to set boundaries like: “Sometimes when you’re going through a lot, I don’t always know how to support you. Can we talk about what helps?” That's compassion instead of basically being dismissive.
If there is an implicit message: “Be easier to talk to, or I won’t engage.” That might be a boundary, but it also may indicate a shallow understanding of what empathy or connection really looks like.
I don’t have to perform my emotions to keep others around. The right people won’t expect me to.
But that's the world that seems to surround me. Everything is buzzwords designed as so-called "empowerment," & so little seems real anymore. I notice a lot more than I say. I just don't speak on it because it's pointless. I just know what I have to do otherwise.
But.... Where is my tribe? Because at the end of it all. I am human too.