Here's a Story That Hurts My Heart Today

How can we be so cruel to each?other?

Decades ago, I tuned out commercial radio and television because I understood the risk of getting programmed into the modern-day matrix of excess consumerism and other nasty stuff.

Because of that, I only scan the news daily using Google News . Sometimes, I’ll dive into an article of interest, and today, I found one that hurts my heart for humanity.

Raygun Throws In the?Towel

One of the first headlines that caught my eye today is “Australian breakdancer Raygun is retiring from the sport after her Olympics backlash " on NPR.

Even though Gunn lost 18–0 in her three round-robin battles, she’s a hero to me because she made it to the Olympics and poured her heart into doing her best.

Yet, here we have a story about the cruelty of humans so harsh that we torched her desire to compete in her sport. I pray she changes her mind once the pain subsides, and I understand how she must feel terrible inside.

Humans Can Be Cruel Even Though We All Need?Love

My primary thought when reading the following excerpt was, how can we be so cruel to each other??

Raygun, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, said on Australian radio earlier this week that she does not want to endure the criticism that would come with future performances possibly being recorded and posted online.

“It’s just not gonna mean the same thing,” she said. “It’s not going to be the same experience because of everything that’s at stake.”

The Tragic Story of An Olympian Judged Too?Harshly

Wow. Here’s an Olympic athlete throwing in the towel because of the flack she earned winning a medal.?

That’s tragic, considering she must have loved breakdancing enough to qualify, compete, and win an Olympic medal.

Humans can be so cruel.?

How the world is and how we treat each other makes me want to become a monk, but moving to a monastery wouldn’t be best for my growing family.

I get it; it’s a fallen world.?

But come on folks, haven’t we had enough of wars gone wild, new bombs dropping from drones, record rates of addiction, mental illness, and maladies of the soul?

Philo Knew A Thing Or?Two

We don’t need to be ancient Greeks to see how harsh the world is after centuries of making the same mistakes. Let’s take a helpful reminder from ancient history and one of the best philosophers of his time.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”?—?Attributed to Philo of Alexandria

In case you don’t know Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE?—?c. 50 CE), he was also known as Philo Judaeus. He was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, during the Roman Empire.

He was a wise man who revealed ageless wisdom we can use today.

Finding Compassion, Decency, and Mutual Respect in a Harsh?World

With abundant clarity that public criticism can drive someone as passionate as an Olympic athlete to give up what they love, we must ask: What happened to compassion and respect??

How can we create a society that values human dignity over judgment and kindness over cruelty? Here we are sharing an overpopulated planet, we continue to trash with our garbage, and worst of all, we unleash our negativity on others as if it does not harm us.

We don’t have to be saints to realize we get what we give. Nor is it a secret that how we see ourselves is how we see the world. Therefore, my humble conclusion to all nasty ways of being human is that “If we knew better, we’d do better.”

I’m a recovering control freak and harsh judge of myself and all others. Being that way has had considerable consequences that led me to get sober and over my selfish, judging ways, even though I am prone to slip backward now and then.?

“True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain but also being moved to help relieve it.”?—?Daniel Goleman

The Election Is Over, The World?Wars

We are an American nation divided due to a shared ignorance and unwillingness to follow the virtues more than our lustful, greedy, angry, judging passions.

Look at the world, especially the Middle East. My, Lord, what are we thinking??

Millions of innocent people and their families are without homes, jobs, and the small businesses that serve as the lifeblood of every health community.

Now that the U.S. election is over, I pray more of us learn to get along by remembering that most of us want the same things in life. Let’s hope the same can become a reality for the rest of the world before intelligent life lands here to run the show for us.

Here’s how we might do that one person at a time…

A Call to?Action

What would our world look like if we chose kindness over criticism, empathy over judgment??

We’ve all seen the effects of people who are quick to condemn and slow to support. The tragic consequences reveal themselves on the faces of hard-working people like Gunn, who feel forced to step away from what they love.

“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident , and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.”?—?Horace Greeley

While fame seems to always come with a heavy cost, it is up to each of us to do our part to improve ourselves and, in doing so, improve the world around us.

If we are sick of living in a world that seems to breed cruelty, then each of us has a role in changing it. Let’s be the ones who pause before we judge, who encourage instead of critique, who understand that everyone, no matter how strong they appear, is carrying a weight we cannot see.

So here’s my call to action: let’s make a habit of kindness. When we encounter someone who bothers us, let’s choose compassion.?

When we feel the urge to criticize, remember that empathy costs us nothing but can mean everything to someone else.?

It's simple but not easy to live in virtue more than pursuing selfish passions. But we're doomed if we can’t or won’t learn the lessons.

This article was originally published on Medium . I write about the art of human transformation, transcending suffering, and overcoming life’s challenges with transcendent unconditional love and forgiveness. You can learn more about my strategic coaching work and the S.H.I.F.T. process at www.CliffordJones.com .