Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite Disney princess is clearly Cinderella. Many think that she’s a silly, shallow girl who was just waiting around for Prince Charming to come to her rescue-- she’s so much more than that! Think about it: the girl lost her mother, then her father, and then was forced into a life of servitude to her stepmother and stepsisters. This would be plenty of reason for anyone to adopt the same cruel nature. However, Cinderella rises above, remaining hopeful and kind until things finally work out in her favor! Cinderella is not weak and silly; she is resilient and strong.
Disney’s live action remake of the movie made me love this girl even more! The theme of this movie has stuck with me for the past two years: “Have courage, and be kind.” This is something that I used to carry with me, something I felt deeply within that radiated out. Unfortunately, I feel like this is a value that I have allowed the world to suck right out of me recently. Let’s face it: sometimes, life is just hard.
People hurl insult upon insult at you, for no reason other than to see you fall. Maybe it’s because they are threatened by you. Maybe it’s because they hate what you stand for. Maybe, you’re too “big” for them, and they want to make you feel small and insignificant. It is all too easy to let this affect you; I should know, because I have let these sorts of people affect me.
Sometimes, the life you live becomes your downfall. Your daily life can become so rough that you begin to see it differently. School and studying threaten to squelch your desire for the career you one day hope to attain. Increasing stress and demands threaten to rob you of your passion for one of the only things that brings you happiness.
The “wild cards” that you’re dealt can be the thing that finally drives you over the edge. People come into your life that you want to stick around, and then they leave you floundering. In the worst case, you lose someone who meant the entire world to you forever, and you won’t get to see them again in this life.
These things start out small, but they build continuously. Each event leaves its mark on you. They begin to make little tears at the very fabric of who you are, until you feel as though you are walking around as a shredded-up, ugly version of who you once were.
Wow… Depressing, am I right? Yes, it can be. And for me, it has been. However, we have a choice to make. We can choose to continue to allow ourselves to be broken down and destroyed.
Or, we become like Cinderella.
We have the courage to remain kind. When life begins to wreak its havoc, we stand tall. We do not become bitter and cruel; that is letting the evil in our world win. We stay humble in the face of the too-proud. We demonstrate love to those who choose to show hatred. Kindness is not weakness; kindness is strength.
Don’t get me wrong here-- this does not mean we become doormats. We stand for what is right in the face of so much wrong. We simply must acknowledge that two wrongs never make a right.
