“Hey you… you’re different… and that’s okay.” An Anthem Against Intolerance

“When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.” – C. S. Lewis

You are different. You know it. You feel it, don’t you?

Accept it. Embrace it. Love it.
It’s okay. It’s more than okay. It’s perfect. It’s you.

And the people who don’t accept you – they will be everywhere. I know it’s not easy to come to terms with that. I know that it’s difficult to think about this, knowing they reject you when you are simply being yourself. Some will learn to accept you and some will even embrace you.

But to some..

You will always be different.
Someone who they misunderstand.
Someone who is breaking all their rules.
Someone who doesn’t fit with their idea of what life should be like.

I’m here to tell you that this will not be pretty. This will hurt. Being rejected and mixed with mud because of who you inherently are will make you want to cry. People won’t understand you. Some won’t even begin to want to understand you.

And they’ve perfected how to reject you and put themselves on a pedestal above you. A pedestal that rains intolerance on you.

Don’t stand below them. Move. Don’t let their intolerant rain of words fall on you. Refuse to allow their intolerance to taint your self-respect.

And when you’re left with the irony of your own resistance to accept the ones who don’t accept you, you must begin to look at things through a different lens.

First, move away from their rain of words and move above them. But don’t rain intolerance or ugliness back on them. Fight with the opposite of what they’ve shown you. Fight with acceptance, love, patience, and kindness. Stand there with your head held high. Stay authentic to yourself and the one you love.

You have to be strong. You have to build tougher skin because they will judge you. They will want to make you feel like you’re wrong, bad, and defective. Some will be unrelenting in getting their intolerant message across. Don’t allow it to pierce through you.

I want you to read this and believe it.
You have the right to love whomever you want.

If you’re a boy and you love a boy, then love that boy with everything in you. Shower him with your love so it makes him feel on top of the world each and every day. Never make him feel like your love is wrong.

If you’re a girl and you love a girl, then love that girl with all your strength. Let your love make her feel like she’s the most special person to you. Never allow anyone else interfere with the purity and goodness of what you two have.

Never allow the ugliness and noise of the world enter into your beautiful relationship. Remember, just by being yourself and loving the one you love, you are making a difference in this world. You embody what it means to love without resistance or limitations.

So, fight the intolerance with compassion. Fight the resistance with kindness. Fight the rejection with love.

It won’t be easy. It is very difficult to accept when you aren’t accepted. It is very tiring to try where you’re rejected. So fight from afar. Fight not by wielding ugly words, but by simply being yourself. Fight against the intolerance by being compassionate, kind, accepting, and loving towards others.

That’s the fight I’m urging you to take on in 2016.

And remember…

You bring love and positivity into the world.
You allow others to come as they are.
You allow people to be themselves and you allow others to be human.
You are the difference maker.
You fight with light.

Listen to Emile Sande – Read All About It (Pt III) for further inspiration to be who you are, speak who you are, and love who you love. 

Let us know below your struggles with others’ intolerance.

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