A short hiatus.

It's break time. I get so lazy during these times. It's a wonder I even get out of bed...


Anyways, I was just creeping on Facebook, and someone's status said this: 


‎"People can't hurt you unless you let them." Do you agree or disagree with that statement and why?


This is like an essay prompt, right? Well, it piqued my interest, so I thought, "Hey! This could totally be a blog post topic, and since I fail at staying on top of that over weekends/breaks, it would be perfect!"


So. Here I am. 


And here's what I think! Shocker, huh?


Well, first, it depends on what context this is taken in: physically or emotionally (there are other contexts, I'm sure, but for the purposes of this blog, I'm sticking to these two). Let's take it piece by piece.


If one asks, "Is it possible for someone to physically hurt you without you letting them?" The answer is clearly, "Yes." To take away your bodily autonomy, an assailant doesn't need your permission to do so. They will do what they want regardless of your say in the matter. Someone might respond with something like, "That's why you keep away from bad people." Well, to that I say, you can't always know if someone is bad until it's too late. And if you're nonchalantly walking down the street, you may not always suspect that average streetwalker to be a bad person. There are not-so-good people in all walks of life, and to avoid all of them would mean becoming a hermit, which isn't a realistic alternative.


Now, if you take this as emotionally hurt, that's a whole 'nother story. In this context, the original prompt rings true. People can't emotionally hurt you unless you let them in and give them ability to have a stake in your feelings. You have to care about what another person says or does in order for it to influence your emotional state in any way. Sometimes, I think people forget that they have complete control over their emotions and instead let the tiniest of things get under their skin. Or perhaps I expect everyone to have skin as tough as mine. That could be my malfunction. Meh.


It just seems to me that life is way too short to let every negative comment or action from every single person in the world to have any effect over how we feel. Why let what anyone says affect you? Perhaps I'm again judging everyone harshly because I don't let what people say affect me and I expect the same in everyone, but life would be so much better if we could just maintain positivity all the time and not let one jerk in our day ruin it all. 


Positive thinking. That's what's missing these days.