Sticks and Stones

Let’s imagine that we’re invincible and pretend to not feel the vicious attacks of tongue and indifference. Let’s communicate our apathy with the ease of simply giving up. Why don’t we just ignore the issues completely and then throw ourselves to something else entirely? The sticks and stones hurt for reasons of otherwise unreachable reality: the sting of life is one that bruises while it blesses, hurts while it heals, and loathes while it loves. True emptiness cannot be found in humanity as long as that humanity still has breath, no matter how dispensable the condition might seem. A connection is always made, from an unconscious need to belong, to something with the power to fulfill the most basic of life’s functions: interconnectedness. The treasure of the heart is always being spent on something, whether eternal or temporal, consequential or insignificant, even real or imagined. Feelings of betrayal and complete isolation are considerable maneuvers meant to usurp the ability of humanity to know the joy of inviting a major blessing into life: relationships that encourage, strengthen, and sustain. Here’s the truth: humanity will connect to something because it is bound by its very nature to do so, and if it isn’t getting meaningful connections with other people, and even God, it will ultimately secure those needs through other things. Simple application: Are you giving yourself to building meaningful relationships with others, or are you content to fill the void with “stuff”?