Yesterday, Bob Mayer wrote this wonderful post for his blog. It's a sentiment I think about a lot. You have no idea why someone is acting the way they are, or just said what they said. While it's easy to be hurt or offended or righteously indignant, it takes more time and effort to consider where they might be coming from in this moment. And maybe say a prayer for them.

For a good portion of my life, I was a warrior. I block that out a lot these days, although the pain from various parts of my body remind me otherwise at times. From when I was 17 years old I was trained as a warrior and spent a large portion of my years living that life, delving deeper and deeper into it, volunteering for more and more. In a way the pure warrior is a defense against the pain of life although it brings other pains; physical, emotional and spiritual.

But I see now there are much more important and difficult battles in life.

Sometimes we feel like we’re all alone. And sometimes we think everyone else is doing just fine. But everyone is carrying around a burden we can’t see and fighting a battle we often can’t imagine, never mind understand. They might be sick. They might be depressed. They might be in pain, physical or emotional, or both. They might have experienced trauma or tragedy in their life recently. Or old pains resurface. They might be suffering because someone they love is suffering or suffered or has died. There are some pains people outside of the ones who suffer it can’t even begin to comprehend.

But we can’t see it. Because we all put on our best to go out there in the world to face it and do what we have to do. To fulfill our responsibilities.

Lately, I’ve focused more and more on the fact that I don’t know shit about other people. And because of that, I have to be kinder. To let go of my preconceived notions, my selfishness, and my impatience.

To be a kinder person, because everyone I meet is fighting a hard battle I cannot see.