People feel entitled to many things: to be able to choose how they spend their time, to be treated with dignity and respect (especially when they’re paying good money for service), to be given the right of way on the roads, and so on.
But for some reason, it’s not okay to wear your feelings on your face and body. We’re not entitled to showing our emotions, the unspoken rule goes, or else we’re “downers” who will put everyone else in a lesser mood.
That’s strange, because I don’t think even half the world is particularly happy at any moment to begin with. It’s tiring to be human, and it’s normal to feel less than happy during most of our short existence. But so few of us acknowledge this that showing our emotions — especially when it’s sadness, sorrow or some type of depression — isn’t something we’re entitled to.
People can be unforgiving when we’re open with those feelings, when we wear them on our faces. People will think you’re not above it all, like everybody else tries to be. To them, you appear weak and poor at managing yourself.
I don’t see why this should continue to be the way we treat one another. We have to acknowledge that life is hard, and that it’s actually more common to be feeling blue than sunshine yellow at any point in a day. It’s just a fact for most of us.
It’s your right to wear your emotions on your sleeves. Do it with the confidence that the person who is judging you, stripping you of a fundamental right as a human to show how you’re feeling, is probably also suffering.
Know that you’re just a big step ahead in realising (and dealing with) it.
