Life Lessons
Who Owes You— Hate or Love? Kindness or Cruelty?
What Would Your Heart Say?
He bit into his lip so hard, that blood oozed out slowly. She cursed him calling him a nasty, greedy, thieving, fat, and sloppy worthless devil like his dirty father.
Coming from the market with my bags loaded with fruits and vegetables, I stopped to rest my hands as my bags were too heavy. My husband was nearby but he refused to accompany me inside of the market. Men are sensible enough to know that they must never accompany their wives or girlfriends shopping.
He had no interest in getting the best price or value for our money. Males have no interest in sales, deals, or getting better prices for whatever they want to buy.
Isn’t that nonsensical? Food prices are out of control worldwide, with many of us salaries remaining stagnant. I demand my money’s worth, so I walk all over the market until I find the price I like.
If I don’t like the price, I don’t buy it.
“But what if you really need that pineapple for your detox? Or the turmeric?” Guilt asked.
“I buy less until the price goes back down,” I battled with my internal insanity.
Sorry, I am a cheapskate. I refuse to pay full price for everything. I mean everything. Thinking economically, the prices for everything I want, where it is sold, and who sells it to me, stays inside of my head. I remember where I got the best price everywhere in the market. And when I am not home in Jamaica, it’s the same thing. The ones who gave me the best prices, stay with me.
I don’t get my way all the time. I think economically and am good with my money, so I win most of the time. The few losses won’t break me.
Slowly exercising my hand near several stalls, a voice nearby was criticizing someone. I turned, to see a mother scolding her child for doing something wrong. She demoralized the child for stealing something from someone.
My heart aches as I read his emotion. He was overweight and couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen years old. He bit into his lip so hard, that blood oozed out slowly with tears.
She cursed him, calling him a nasty, greedy, thieving, fat, and sloppy stupid fool who was just as evil as his father. She went on to threaten to harm him if he continued to steal and embarrass her.
My eyes popped, staring at the child. He fumed, biting harder on his lower lip as she tore him apart with demeaning words.
Shock held me in place, as I stared at her wondering, ‘Where is the love?’ Couldn’t she have found a better way to discipline him? She threw me a dirty look and continued to rip apart the child’s self-esteem.
I continue staring at her, biting my lip too. She eased back and pushed the child behind her stall.
In prayer, with a heavy heart, I picked up my bags and walked away. Praying for the safety and sanity of that child.
My world is a cruel one and our cruelty is also extended to children. Every child in Jamaica has tasted cruelty at a very young age. And for most of us, our first taste of cruelty is from the ones who gave us life. The ones who should love and care for us. The ones who should protect and guide us.
For us, the emotional state of children is never under consideration. Children are forced to grow up fast with common sense before they learn to read.
I am not perfect, but life has shown me the way to raise my children without them tasting cruelty, thoughtlessness, or anything negative that could harm them from my actions, choices, or decisions. I have tasted enough, and I refused to share it with anyone! That’s my way of stopping it.
I am aware that I don’t have to teach them anything bad. I can rely on humanity and my world to feed it to them. I have a responsibility to show them the value, consequences, and the difference between good and bad.
The negative experience of what humanity taught them, along with what they see, learn, know, and experience growing up, will guide them along the path to better decisions.
I want kindness, love, understanding, patience, positive actions, ideas, choices, intentions, decisions, etc., to be indebted to me. Not the opposite.
My life and daily decisions are made with my children in mind. I don’t want life to pay them back negatively for what I did.
Please, be careful what you teach your children and how you treat them. Because how you treat them is also what you teach them. Show them how to let kindness, love, thoughtfulness, understanding, forgiveness, and positive elements owe them. No human wants hatred and cruelty to owe them or their generation.
If your heart could speak, what would it say?
Mine would say, “We can change the world positively, just by how we treat our children!”
Thank you for reading this piece. Please, let your heart speak, while enjoying more from some inspiring writers on this platform whose links are below.
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