In Praise of Gentleness

by Emily (follow)

life (68)      love (23)      appreciation (4)     

Sometimes it seems that the only truly great things are high-profile events and feelings – the really big things, such as weddings and funerals, sky-dives and world tours, adrenalin and effort. The extremities of feelings and events. The really high highs, and the truly low lows.



These are the events that characterise our lives, Facebook timelines, and personalities. These are the things we look to when life gets dull – something big. Something dramatic.

Perhaps what we should be looking for is the opposite. Spending an evening with a loved one and relishing the normalcy and comfort of it. Admiring the talent of a busker or the kindness of a stranger. Enjoying the growth; the journey.

Television is filled with strong personalities. Talk show hosts are paid to be opinionated; likewise reality TV shows and of course dramas revolve around the latest plot twist; births, deaths, extramarital affairs and schoolyard catfights. We are hooked on the gory melodrama of ‘reality,’ and can forget that it is not actually real.

To be gentle is to oppose these fast, perhaps shallow, ideas. It is to be kind, thoughtful and practiced. Values which are not often seen in the public sphere.

Gentleness is a mode of thought; a manner of acceptance instead of judgement. A way of letting go of unnecessary weight and moving softly through the world.



#appreciation
#life
#love

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