People will misunderstand even when given an explanation. This is something that should be taught in childhood, so that we’re prepared anyway. While I was taught to be honest, own my mistakes, do my own thing, keep minding my own business, there was very little mentioned when it came to how others could exploit this, and create and perpetuate misunderstanding to keep exploiting.
If you can withstand that, maybe then, the authentic life can be lived, but it comes with depression, and stigma, and fallout of resistance, and infinite sadness in someone else’s eyes as they bear witness of a little more of your light fading with acceptance of what the world can be, without them having realised you accepted this long ago, lived with it, masked it, pretended, and now, sad as it is to acknowledge their acceptance of your experience, you are finally able to drop the armour—never the defences—and BE.
To be continued…
