Puffed-up human

He tried to make me smaller by belittling what he thinks I am...for he thinks I am what I do, what I have, what I have accomplished. He is intelligent, handsome and has done some great things in his career field. He is established and, to all outward appearances, self-secure. I think of him and I want to hold him and tell him that it is all going to be ok.

The truth is that he is insecure and can't see his real worth and that he wasn't really belittling me. He was trying to make himself bigger. If he were bigger, he believes, then he would have more respect, acknowledgement and self-confidence. If he sticks his chest out and pounds on it, then he wouldn't feel pain. If he looks down on others he seems better in comparison. Yet what this does is tell us that he is insecure and self-conscious.

We do this sometimes. Insecurity takes over us and we react by trying to outshine. We, like him, turn away from our hollowed and broken hearts to an exaggeration of our facts or a devaluation of others.

I saw in him the pain...the pain that he denies but that is palpable in his moods, his comments, the way he views others. He didn't depreciate me because I am not what I do, what I have or what I have done. Neither is he. Neither are you.

I am, he is and you are a precise part of this Universe. There is no comparison between us because we were all created unique. We think, act and feel different and there's room for all of us. We are all worthy. We each fill a special role. Even he, in his arrogant, egotistic, self-important demeanor is special and deserving of love and respect. Behind the mask there is a contribution he can make, love he can give, service he can render. I see it. The next time you see a puffed-up human, see it too. See behind the mask.