Gentleness

The art of strength

Photo by Reign Abarintos on Unsplash

Medium’s own @Nick Wignall has penned a remarkable piece, a letter to himself as he was in his twenties. It’s an old form, the letter to a former self, that Mr Wignall has taken up a notch. If you haven’t read it you, you ought to do yourself a favor and read it now.

Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Welcome back.

@Nick Wignall ends his letter with this bit of advice:

“It’s so simple, in fact, that I can do it in a single word:

Gentleness

Learn to be gentle.”

This is a truth… but as with any and all truths — or more accurately — as with our possible reactions to any or all of them, it requires some examination.

For what does it mean to be ‘gentle’?

Many dictionaries define gentle and gentleness in the negative: As in ‘not severe or forceful’ or ‘not harsh’; They don’t exactly say what gentleness is, only what gentleness is not. This has always struck me as insufficient. In my estimation this has led many people to equate gentleness with a complete lack of strength.

Other dictionary definitions are more positive, using descriptions such such as ‘kind’ and ‘quiet.’ But… I don’t think ‘kind,’…