Support — Does It Mean What You Think It Means?

Actions speak louder than words.

Photo by Stephen Isaiah on Unsplash

Lots of people will tell you that they support you.

They might offer platitudes, tell you about all the ways they’re supporting you, and/or claim they’re being supportive by doing this, that, or the other thing.

But then, when you get down to it — are they taking actions that genuinely support you?

Let’s say you have a “friend” who always must one-up you, always seems to find some way to belittle you, or in certain situations makes you feel uncomfortable. Now, let’s say you tell a friend whom you consider a confidant this, and they commiserate, claim they understand and validate you, and then tell you how much they support you.

That’s what they say and tell you. But then, they host a gathering — and invite both you and the “friend” you have the issue with. Is that genuine support? Of course not.

Whatever the situation might be — genuine support isn’t just words. It’s also actions. You can tell someone over and over how much you support them. But do your actions back this up?

Then, because support can be a slippery slope — what about when the support being requested isn’t reasonable? For example — you have a friend who claims they’ve been harassed and bullied…