CRITICAL MASS

I'm tired of critical people.

You know the ones.

They disapprove of your lifestyle,

spiritual choices or seeming lack thereof,

political tendencies

and maybe even the way you speak, act and look.

If they don't agree with you,
they tune you out
then talk about you behind your back.
Anything you do
and any change you make in your life
is suspect in their eyes.

They don't understand you and make no attempt to try.
You're wierd, deceived
phony, crazy, angry or bitchy.
You're not enough of this and you're too much of that
and they let you know you've become unacceptable
in subtle and passive aggresive ways,
all the while wearing their bright white facades.

I'm tired of critical people -
Those with whom I'm unable to be myself.
Those who for a moment cause me to doubt myself
and seeing myself through their eyes,
believe I'm unacceptable.

I'm tired of critical people
who claim to have all of the truth
tied in a neat package with a bow,
who don't need to know even one more thing -
so complete is their truth.
Who stand in judgement of every one
with whom they disagree;
Who cannot sacrifice themselves
for a bit of kindness for an idea, thought or person
that is different from them.

I'm tired of critical people
who cannot open their eyes, hearts or minds.
Who can't concieve of things being different
than what they see right now.
Who can't accept those that are different
in any way from what they consider the norm.

I'm tired of critical people
whose critical natures are self-sustaining
and perpetrate more and more negative energy
among themselves and their kind.

I'm tired of allowing critical people

inside my head...

to make me critical

of myself and of them.