I think one of the cruelest things we can can do is shame and judge someone for their attempts to heal- or even just make it through the day.
Just because someone utilizes substances we may not agree with, or other modalities that seem “out there” or unfamiliar, it doesn’t mean they are not worthy of love or basic respect.
It is not criminal to want a good life, or to be free of pain.
Before we write people off- or make them less than human in our minds, maybe we could cultivate humility and compassion and remember that we don’t know what they’ve been through, or what was passed down to them (generational trauma, genetic vulnerabilities, etc).
Judgment is a defense mechanism that keeps us from feeling the overwhelming vulnerability that comes with acknowledging we’re all one event away from a drastically different life.
When we keep others at arms length it’s easy to ignore the extremely annoying and inconvenient truth that WE’RE ALL CONNECTED.
Photo: Wilmington, NC January 2021
Anatomy of an Awakening 