Welcome to Infinite Threads.I'm your host, Bob. Today’s episode holds a truth that may be one of the heaviest we ever face on the journey of love: People can knowingly choose harm—and not see it as harm at all. That is a sobering, painful, soul-rattling reality.Especially when you’ve dedicated your life to loving better, to healing, to choosing empathy over ego. Because when you see someone enthusiastically supporting a law, a leader, or a belief that clearly causes suffering—and they call it good—it doesn’t just upset you.It can feel like they’ve betrayed humanity itself.Like they’ve torn something sacred, and smiled while doing it. So how do we live with that? How do we stay loving when cruelty is celebrated? How do we keep choosing compassion…when people call compassion weak? Let’s walk through this together, thread by thread. The most important truth to anchor yourself in is this: What seems like obvious harm to you may not register the same way for someone else. Not because you’re wrong. But because our minds are shaped by different stories, different fears, different loyalties. And people will twist themselves into knots to avoid cognitive dissonance. They’ll tell themselves: * “This is for the greater good.” * “They deserve what they’re getting.” * “This protects my freedom.” * “This is what God would want.” Even when you can clearly see the pain being caused—they may only see their purpose being fulfilled. And here’s the hard truth:They don’t always feel like they’re doing harm.They feel like they’re protecting something—their way of life, their family, their power, their beliefs. Sometimes that “something” is just their fear,dressed up in the language of righteousness. And it has been. We’ve all seen it—how easily empathy fades when someone is told, over and over again, that another group is dangerous… sinful… dirty… lazy… unworthy… less. And once someone accepts that narrative? It becomes frighteningly easy to support cruelty. It’s not an excuse.But it is a warning. Because we’ve seen this before in history. When people stop seeing others as fully human,they stop caring if they suffer.They even start to call that suffering “justice.” And the machinery of harm spins faster. It’s not always hatred that drives it—often, it’s simply numbness.An empathy gap, carved deep by fear and fed by propaganda. This is one of the most invisible traps of all. When someone builds their entire sense of self around a belief system—a religion, a political identity, a cultural narrative—they’ll often defend it at any cost. Even when defending it causes harm.Even when it betrays the very love they claim to value. Because to question the belief?Feels like self-destruction. And so instead of reevaluating the harm,they double down on the dogma. This is ego, not love. This is fear disguised as certainty. And it is tragically common. Not all harm comes from hatred. Some of it comes from panic. From the belief that “If they get more, I’ll have less.” From the myth that equality means being erased. From the fear of losing control, status, dominance. And that fear—left unchecked—turns to defensiveness, then to cruelty, then to applause for cruelty. People don’t always mean to be cruel. But when they’re scared of becoming irrelevant,they’ll do anything to feel powerful again. And if they’re told that harming someone else gives them that power?They may take the bait. How do you carry the heartbreak…of watching someone you once trustedchampion something that shreds your soul? How do you hold onto your humanitywhen it feels like theirs has been traded away? You begin by refusing to become what you hate. You do not let their blindness become your bitterness.You do not let their cruelty make you cruel. You stay soft.And fierce. And clear. You name the harm.You stand with the hurting.You refuse to pretend everything is okay when it isn’t. But you also understand the forces at play.You remember that not everyone is operating from love.Some are operating from fear.From indoctrination.From trauma.From desperation.From ignorance.And yes—some from willful cruelty. But you? You don’t become them. You become a healer.A witness.A truth-teller.A guardian of love.A keeper of the thread. * You are not here to win arguments. You are here to love. * You are not here to make everyone like you. You are here to live in truth. * You are not here to avoid discomfort. You are here to grow through it. * You are not here to punish the ignorant. You are here to protect the vulnerable. * You are not here to carry all the weight. But you can carry your thread. Let’s end with a blessing: If the world has grown dark around you—If cruelty is being cheered, and justice feels far—If your heart is tired, and your hope is thin— May you remember this: Love doesn’t always roar.Sometimes it endures.Sometimes it just keeps showing up. And even when you feel alone in your clarity—there are others holding their threads too.We are all weaving something better.Even in the ruins.Even when harm is called good. We are still here.And we still choose love. Until next time, stay soft.Stay fierce.And keep weaving your thread into the great tapestry of all of us. Infinite Threads is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Infinite Threads at bobs618464.substack.com/subscribe
