What if Irony is Judging Others for Lacking Empathy?
Sometimes
the challenge
is less believing in ourselves
and more believing in others
who believe in us.
Sometimes
our craving for validation
is not mere craving
for validation
but craving validation
from specific someone
or group of people
because we do not deem enough
the validations we’ve already
received.
Sometimes
what we crave
is not mere validation
but revenge
born out of the desire
to prove certain people
wrong.
“I don’t want validation.
I just want to prove to myself
that I can do it.”
he said.
“How would you know
when you’ve proven it
to yourself?”
she asked.
“I’ll know it
when the customer
loves it.”
he replied.
“It sounds like
you need customer validation
to prove to yourself,
is that right?”
she asked.
What you want
may not be
what you want,
the moment others,
whose validation you crave,
don’t want it,
too.
To better understand
what you want,
it can be useful
to find what you like
that others,
whose validation you crave,
don’t want.
The person
whose love,
validation,
and respect we need
is often also the person
whose need for love,
validation,
and respect
we neglect
to appreciate
or understand fully.
Validation
has somehow become
a dirty word.
So has attention.
It’s as if
seeking validation
or attention
is shameful.
…
Human beings need
validation
and attention.
Without it,
we’ll die
a slow death.
It’s one thing
to suggest behavioral changes
as to how
when
and from whom
people seek validation
or attention.
It’s quite another
to shame
the human need
for attention
or validation.
This may only increase
the tension
living inside
humanity,
and, in turn,
may either provoke
the very behaviors we dislike
or merely make it
less visible,
and perhaps,
as a result,
make it,
more
dangerous.