“Yeah, big man in a suit, take that off, what are you?”
Though we may not hear such words from these people again, the message from this line is very important for everyone. Let’s ask ourselves this question
What is that one thing you are proud of? The one thing that defines who you are to the world? Now take that off, what are you? Who are you without that which you are proud of? What’s left of the whole equation? We are proud of things in our lives and we hold on to these things dearly and most times when we take that off, we are nothing.
Take off all that we build around us, we are nothing but a couple of people living on this earth, on the same journey, though different destinations. We are all equal, but we sadly don’t treat those around us the way we should. We live in a world that focuses on the negatives, hate and malice spreading around. nation against nation, brother against brother, the news around is cringe-worthy. There are just simply too many hatreds happening around us. Though the world is messed up and hates each other, there is still a bunch of love and grace left in humanity. It’s not all bad, there are still good people around, still some people who strive to achieve good for others. It all comes down to your perspective, on how you choose to see the world. It will be a much better place if we chose to focus on the positive, to care and glorify the good and to overcome hate. Never let your hearts be discouraged looking at the hate around you, stand up and change it. Because if world changers have thought similarly, the world wouldn’t have changed. If Martin Luther King got discouraged and blamed society, Obama wouldn’t have had a seat in the Oval Office, if Mother Teresa had blamed society and cosied up in Macedonia, India wouldn’t be where it is today. When there’s hate around you, rise above it.
Canadian author Brian Tracy once said, “The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance”. In today’s world, this is very much important. People hate each other for the religion you profess, the colour of your skin, your paper on the ballot, the accent of your conversation or even the number of supplement sheets you take for an exam. Hate is everywhere, lurking around our corners, consuming everyone. But if we can choose to be kind in an unkind world, it will make all the difference. There will be people around you to hate you and malign you, turn a deaf ear to it, give ear to the words of charity and goodness. People may try to pull you down, remember it is because they are beneath you. There is no meaning in hating each other because, at the end of the day, when you take off that mask, we are all nothing but a bunch of homo-sapiens walking the face of the earth, who finds happiness in loving and being loved.
Rise above Hate!