Hurt People, Hurt People

Hurt People, Hurt People

There’s a phrase that’s been sitting in my head: “Hurt people hurt people.”

At first, it sounded like an excuse. A way to let people off the hook. But the more I watched and the more I noticed my own sharp edges the more I realized it wasn’t an excuse. It was a description.

A description that was describing me.

The emotional baggage I have been carrying for years. Like I am still a child in an adult body, because some days it still hurts like a fresh wound.

The person I hurt when I was hurting. That realization hit harder than I expected – not just sadness, but guilt.

People around me are actually trying to help. They’re just being themselves. But I guess I’m angry about it. How are other adults so happy being themselves? And why am I failing to do the same?

The cycle doesn’t break because you want it to. It breaks when you finally stop asking why you’re hurting and start asking who you’re hurting. I’m not there yet. But I’m looking.