There Is Endless Strength In Being Soft

What if I told you that your fragility was one of your best assets? Would you believe me, or would you beg to differ?

We live in a world where softness is regarded as weakness and people are condemned for uncorking their emotions. In reality, those cashmere feelings require a certain caliber of strength and fearlessness to bear themselves in public. Imagine if we all sipped from the fountain of courage and exposed the deepest parts of ourselves, the parts that normally hide in the tiny crevices of our soul. Imagine if rather than shunning the prods of our hearts, we shared them at loudspeaker volumes.

Like dust-covered boxes, locked in an attic, we keep our greatest gifts to ourselves. We shouldn’t be praised for indifference, we should be celebrated for the love we give. Even if our love is unmatched, it should be admired for its endeavor at spreading its seeds. Whether you’re linked with someone at this moment or journeying solo, never let fear of vulnerability hinder you from declaring your love. Declare it in whatever way you need to, shouting it off city rooftops or confessing the words in cursive with pen and paper. Is love not the very reason we exist?

I’m through with playing cool, with pretending not to care. Time is too fleeting to pretend. If they penalize me for being true, then let that mean I’ll be behind bars with those who feel as full-heartedly as me. Why deny the essence of who we are? Tell that person how you feel. If you’ve told them already, remind them. The worst case is unrequited love, but it will never be wasted. Telling someone you love them is never breath wasted.

I too need to practice this in my own life. I forget the importance of those sweet, simple words. They mean so much, and we practically hold them hostage. We feel they aren’t worth giving away unless we know with full certainty that we will receive the words back in exchange. Love is not conditional like this. And it’s not a scarce resource either. It’s in our genetic makeup to love. We have the privilege to love in a way that no other life form can understand. So why bury it? Why not share it? Or at the very least, set it free?

Don’t allow the fear of forthcoming heartbreak to fence in your emotions. Don’t stow away your humanity just because you’re afraid of it breaking. It may crack, and dent, and be tossed around in the turbulences of life, but it will be better because of it. You will be better because of it. There is endless strength in being soft and so much cowardice in being callous. 

So bash down your walls like a laborer with a sledgehammer. Drench yourself in sappiness like maple syrup on pancakes. Belt out the love inside you as if it were your anthem. And you will be so ridiculously, undeniably grateful that you did.