If you win, you have friends |
The Loneliness of Speaking Up
There is a sentence that has followed me through life like a shadow. A lyric written by the late Herman Brood that shaped the way I look at humanity itself:
“If you win, you have friends. Crowds of so called real friends. If you win, you’re never lonely anymore, as long as you keep winning.”
The older I get, the more I realize how painfully true those words are.
People love success. They gather around strength, fame, popularity, and certainty. But the moment you say something uncomfortable, the moment you refuse to walk with the crowd, many disappear. Some even turn against you completely. Friendship suddenly becomes conditional. Respect becomes temporary. Loyalty becomes an illusion.
And then I think about the word humankind.
What a strange word for a species that often shows so little kindness toward its own people. We destroy each other emotionally, mentally, and physically. We chase power and money while pretending morality matters. We judge before listening. We attack before understanding. Sometimes I honestly wonder if kindness is the exception rather than the rule.
I have always been different. Even as a........