Your gentleness
is your strength
it is just as brave
to comfort the oppressed
as it is
to stand up to the oppressors
allow love
to guide you
it will not
lead you astray
GENTLENESS IS STRENGTH (For Ana)
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
To read my longer writing, subscribe at robertvanvalkenburgh.com
Do not wonder why, when you criticize others, they criticize you back.
Do not be surprised when you ridicule others, that they ridicule you in return.
Do not be shocked when your words are full of venom and hatred, that the world hates you and wants to see you suffer.
For it is written that what you put into the world will be put back into you.
How you treat others is how you will be treated.
If you want to be treated with kindness, compassion, and mercy, start by treating others in this way.
Choose your thoughts, words, and actions carefully because, through them, you create the kind of world that you will live in.
CREATING THE WORLD
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
To read my longer writing, subscribe at robertvanvalkenburgh.com
Kindness is a better measure of goodness than niceness is.
Many people are nice, but not kind.
They are friendly, but not honest.
They will tell you what you want to hear with no intention of following up on their words.
Kind people, on the other hand are honest, generous, and faithful.
They may not always be nice, but they are reliable and sincere.
It is possible to be both kind and nice, but if forced to choose between the two, choose kindness.
KIND NOT NICE
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
To read my longer writing, subscribe at robertvanvalkenburgh.com
Be kind to yourself.
Don’t be selfish or self-serving, but be gentle and loving toward yourself.
Allow yourself the same grace and forgiveness you would a dear friend.
Life is difficult enough without you making it worse for yourself.
People are cruel enough that there is no need for you to be cruel to yourself.
Stop setting unreasonable expectations that no one, least of all you, can live up to.
Give yourself some room to make mistakes, to learn, and to grow.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Meditations of a Gentle Warrior
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To contact me, to see what else I’m up to, or to read my longer writings, visit robertvanvalkenburgh.com
Associations matter.
Energy is contagious.
Anger begets anger.
Selfishness begets selfishness.
Kindness begets kindness.
Generosity begets generosity.
You become the energy you associate with most.
Meditations on God 