You probably don't remember those words you said to me, comparing me to a nobody. But I remember them. Sure, I might have brushed them off, twisted them to make them seem like a compliment, but they hurt me.
The fact is, words will always hurt. We can ignore them, announce that we don't care, even sling back a few hurtful words of our own, but nothing can make them sting any less.
I've had my feelings hurt on the BBS plenty of times, but I've never admitted it. The way I was raised, no one in my family showed emotion. Emotion was weakness, and I vowed I would never be weak. I came up with so many ways to show I didn't care, to mask all the boiling emotions inside of me. I'm sure I have a joke or a little snappy remark for anything anyone could ever say to me.
I bet you don't even realize how much those words hurt, even though I wasn't the main subject of your cruelty. I can only imagine how much they hurt the person they were truly intended for. And maybe she hurt you two, but two wrongs will never, ever make a right. All it does is leave a big wake of hurt feelings and broken relationships.
I'll admit, I've said my share of rude and mean words to others. But now that it's happened to me, I realize just how much I could've hurt someone. I wish I could go and take those words back. But I can't.
So first, I want to make my public apology. If I've ever said or done anything mean or hurtful to you, I'm sorry. I hope from the bottom of my heart that you'll forgive me, but if you won't, I'll understand.
Second, I want to say that from now on, I'm going to try my very best to be kind to everyone. And if you ever see me saying anything hurtful, please feel free to tell me.
And third, let me ask you to think about what you're going to say before you say it. Think about how you might make others feel. Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words hurt the most.
