In Moderation, This Is Good

As gay men, many of us, well; most of us, face innumerable numbers of challenges each and every day of our lives. For some of us, just making it safely through one more day alive is a constant struggle. Others among us have to suffer pettiness and humiliation on an ongoing basis. A few of us are estranged from our families and loved ones. Still others live daily in constant fear that a guarded and secret aspect of their essence, their being, might be discovered and their comfortable world comes crashing around them. More than a handful of our community are threatened and physically/verbally abused on a regular basis. The list goes on, injustice after injustice.

That's the reason that we all need to make certain that as a part, an essential core, of our daily routine needs to be devoted to taking the time to love ourselves. In an often hostile and indifferent world, it is important that we recall our basic goodness and celebrate ourselves, who we are and how we love. Regardless of race, ethnicity, size, ability, religion, physical attributes and IQ, every one of us is unique in our own way with certain characteristics that make us special. We all have gifts, skills and talents that distinguish us from all the rest of humanity. Therefore, we all need to take the time and love ourselves. All it takes is a couple of moments to focus on our strengths and our goodness. The world and those in it are eager to remind us of our shortcomings. We need to counter the negatives by reminding us of the positives that we have and that we are worthy and deserving of our love.

As we accept and love ourselves as gay men, we are, in turn, opening ourselves to the love of others. The more that we acknowledge that we are lovable, it is easier for us to both give and to receive love to and from others. Despite the obstacles and hurdles that we have to confront in order to get through the day, at the end of the day, love is what matters.