Until it effects you…

Sometimes the things people dismiss are the very things they’ll one day have to face. And when that moment comes, it suddenly makes sense to them. Nothing changed… it just affects them personally now.

I’ve experienced this many times firsthand. There have been times in my life where I’ve been met with ridicule, doubt, or judgement for things I was genuinely struggling with. Times where I was made to feel like I was overreacting, being dramatic, or doing too much… just to get through something that didn’t feel simple to me.

And then, over time, I’ve watched some of those same people find themselves in similar positions. Needing… expecting… the very understanding they so easily questioned. Here they are, wanting reassurance, wanting to be supported, taken seriously. Expecting compassion… without ever recognising or acknowledging they hadn’t offered it.

There was a time when I would be the first person to hold out a hand, to offer empathy. But now I hold back, not out of bitterness or retaliation… but because I see more clearly now how easy it is for people to overlook someone else’s suffering, to simply turn away.

Empathy seems to come more easily when something feels familiar. But when it doesn’t… it’s often the first thing to be withheld.

I’ve never liked division, it’s always felt unnecessary, uncomfortable… something to move away from, not towards, but this feels different.

This feels like a line that needs to be drawn.

⬆️⬆️⬆️

These thoughts came from a post I saw on Facebook last night.

I made it more Facebook friendly, gave it a more generalised approach… one that wouldn’t invite the usual backlash.

I wanted to address it directly. To call out the poster… but in doing so, I knew I’d open myself up to a political shitstorm, of which I don’t have the tolerance for.

I’m not interested in debating what someone decides is bad enough to be their final straw.

But this post made me mad… because nothing seemed to matter until it became personal.

Not the bigger things, or the harm done along the way. It wasn’t the ruthless acts, or anything that should have raised concern long before this… it was the moment it became an inconvenience in their own life.

That’s what it took to finally care.

8th April 2026

Seems I’ve felt the same way for a while …