In my lifetime, I’ve been told on many an occasion that I’m too “sensitive”. I am told this if I dare show any reaction to a negative comment about myself. I am told this if I cry when I feel sad. I am told this any time I get angry. And I acknowledge that this is true. Yes, I am absolutely a sensitive person. However, I refuse to think of this as a negative thing or as an insult.
In society, being “sensitive” is automatically thought of as a negative thing, which I believe is because it’s associated with femininity. Anything feminine is thought of as a flaw. On the contrary, hiding your emotions in a stereotypically masculine manner is thought of as being “strong”. How many times have we heard the saying “men don’t cry”? Too many, I’m sure. How many times have we heard “be strong” when we’re sad, meaning “don’t let on that you’re sad”?
Why, I ask, is having emotions a bad thing? I would argue the opposite – that the problem in our world today is being not sensitive enough, rather than too sensitive. On the news, we see all of these mass killings, homicides, suicides, sexual assaults, and removals of the rights of other people. Truthfully, I think the root of many of these atrocious acts is the lack of empathy for others; in other words, a lack of feeling.
Feeling things is not a negative thing. Feeling things is a natural part of the human experience. Although the meaning of a “good person” is arbitrary, I think that a “good person” is someone who has a lot of love and empathy for other human beings and puts others before themselves.
Yes, I may be hurt a little easier than other people. Sure, I might cry about little things. But in the end, I think I feel better about being called sensitive than being called insensitive. Even though it may hurt me more, I like to feel. I like to care about other human beings. I like to feel empathy and connect with others. I like to be sensitive.
I am proud of being sensitive.
It is a part of who I am. And just because it’s associated with ‘weak’ femininity and ‘harmful’ emotions, it’s been shunned as a flaw. However, I move that we no longer accept it as such. It’s not a bad thing. It’s not something we should discourage our children from being. It’s important to be sensitive about other’s needs and about your own, as well. It’s important to understand your own emotions and everyone else’s.
Sensitivity is something that should be praised, not discouraged.
