When does one become strong?
- Thread starter Trifoilum
- Start date
insults are subjective. there's nothing inherently right or wrong about particular statements, we define them as such depending on the context. a person could say something that you interpret to be racist, but that doesn't mean it actually is, or that they intended it to be that way. on the other hand, someone could say something definitely intended to be racist, and you could laugh it off, thereby rendering the remark psychologically harmless. point is, it's really up to you how much significance you accord to other person's words, they don't inherently have any power to hurt you (or help you, for that matter).
hope that makes some sorta sense xD
I agree.
We become strong when we don't think or look at thing as losing it. In other words, when we think we don't have to lose anything then we will do everything to get.
It makes sense, but my intentions were not to debate what constitutes an epithet.
And I think that people do have the power to hurt each other, no matter how self aware one is.. words can be as powerful as actions. Words are designed to be effective otherwise, what's the point?
People aren't islands from one another. We all have vulnerabilities regardless of strengths. We're social intelligent beings and with that means that we derrive some understanding of ourselves through interacting with others. With communication, comes the responsibility of the communicator to be clear in their meaning and also to not alienate if they don't wish to.
The onus is not entirely on the listener to get it right. If words don't hold any power over people's emotions or mental states then why all the psychological trauma that occurs after things like brain washing and verbal abuse?
I'll say that tolerance is a good thing, but it only goes so far before it comes full circle back to ignorance. Which is why I personally don't revel in racist and sexist jokes at the expense of others--and then justify it as: "You took it the wrong way."
I already stated that however the person deals with the offense indicates the strength of their character. It's not realistic to deny that we're capable of being hurt or offended or upset--or that different people are going to be offended by different things.. It's not the feeling of being offended that indicates strength or weakness-- it's how you deal with the feeling of being offended.
For example, losing your temper and flipping out suggests weakness. Seeking revenge would suggest weakness of character.
Saying something neutral yet diffusing of the remark or a total withdrawl of interaction so as not to reinforce the abusive attitude constitutes strength.
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"In your weakness possess ye your strength." To acknowledge is a step in the right direction. If it needs to be conquered, conquer it. If it needs to be bridled, bridle it. If it needs to be stopped, stop it. I speak of weaknesses we normally do not share with others; those things we keep inside.
There is strength in the knowing. There is strength in the fight. There is strength in the finality. There is strength in the final freedom. We become more complete in all things.
