If you have a hard edge to your personality, most likely you don’t attract many soft hearted people.
Either chased off by your fear of unintentionally hurting them or they remove themselves by self preservation. .
A hard edged soul is usually the result of a young life colliding far too soon with the truth and reality of good and evil, more often evil. On the bright side these personalities gain quickly the seriousness of both. The bad news? Some choose evil over good and consequently don’t survive the journey.
There are always those in that mix that seek to manipulate these truths to their own understanding. However, truth stands on it’s own without need of our opinions or feelings. The truth of our existence is immovable and can be merciless.
D.H. Lawrence wrote, ” I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself, a small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself”
Of course, this is a poets opinion. D.H. Lawrence does not know what the small bird was thinking but uses it to illustrate the harsh beauty of life. He also points to the truth that most beings suffer a blinding illusion to having complete control over their existence. Staying with that theme, he draws the readers attention to the only power the little creature truly owns and that is a choice to not be a victim. In other words, some will exercise a willing selflessness standing on the precipice of choice under duress. This is an example of power under control. We don’t know what small birds think confronting death in the truth of a winters cold, maybe the little bird had come to accept that there was simply no sanctuary or relief from freezing. We do have many accounts of human beings overcoming their own self preservation, making a choice to sacrifice themselves so that others can live. Many have been the strongest of their group and could have survived but they choose to give up their rights and lives for others. That, I believe is what DH Lawrence is illustrating.
The life of Jesus is cast in that same vane. The historical documents of three different cultures, Hebrews, Romans, and Greek all recorded, simultaneously, the words and events of Jesus of Nazareth, as they happened. Jesus, a simple man, full of inexplicable wisdom and healing power was feared and conspired against by earthly authority. Presented with the choice to save his own flesh and obtain power over his abusers he chose to be mocked and crucified by this authority. Jesus walked with total truth and total power completely under his control. He defeated the harshest truth of existence…death.
His most intimate followers, the Apostles all eventually suffered torture and/or horrendous deaths never denying what they had seen and knew to be true.
The truths of Jesus Christ, Son of God, crucified and rose again and Savior of all who believe in those truths are not relative to your acceptance. The truth and power of God’s love and authority is to be both respected and feared regardless of your personal opinions.
There is a heaven and a hell, it’s your choice.
God bless those with ears to hear!