Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS writer.
- Leprosy takes many forms, and if we shun the people who scare us and challenge us then we are not good people
- Don’t be a dick. I’m busy, you’re busy, we are all fucking busy. Substitute busy for sad/tired/anxious/hurting/late/distracted…we all feel it regularly. My feeling a thing isn’t more important than you feeling a thing, so let’s all just respect where other people are at.
- We all learn differently so be patient with those you’re trying to explain things to. Try communicating in different ways. But most of all be patient.
- Kindness is an infinite bucket. If you see it as finite and dole it out parsimoniously, you will only ever get a finite amount back. We need to get the word out that it is infinite.
- Slow down. When you are driving, when you are talking, when you are cooking. Time is precious, and we need to savor each moment as it happens. Try to cook a brisket quickly in a hot oven and you’ll get my drift.
- Hurry up! Don’t wait around to live your life, and don’t make excuses for not doing the things you want to do. Waiting for a magical set of life circumstances to come about before acting just means you won’t ever do it. Act. Deal with the consequences.
- Be brave. You are an individual and you have a voice with merit. Let others hear it. By the same token, there are things for you to learn too. Be brave enough to admit you were wrong and grow in that process. Vulnerabilities are only a weakness if you are afraid to let people know they are there. Have a freak flag? Fly it high.
- Check your privilege. We all have things that give us a leg up, and those aren’t part of us innately being better than someone else. Know what privilege you have, and be aware of it when dealing with others.
- The ability to learn is not confined to schools. Art galleries, walks in the park, coffee with friends, the fucking Internet! Ask questions and try to answer them.
- Swearing is proven to be a benefit, so don’t stifle your salty voice because someone fucking told you it wasn’t lady like. Swearing increases your ability to withstand pain and you are seen as more trustworthy if you do it. So just fucking do it.
- Following rules is something you need to know when to do and when not to do. Pick your moments carefully.