Kindness Under Control

Do not confuse kindness with weakness. A gentle voice and an open hand are not

signs of fragility. They are the choices of someone strong enough to restrain themselves.

The warmth you meet is not naive. It is disciplined. It has counted

the cost of anger and chosen peace, not because it cannot fight,

but because it refuses to wound without cause. Mistake this restraint for softness at

your peril. When innocence is threatened, when cruelty bares its teeth,

that quiet spirit will rise without hesitation. The hand that offered friendship will

become iron. The eyes that once laughed will harden into something ancient and merciless.