The way I view the world was changed forever when I saw my enemy cry. I was going for a walk in the park by myself when I saw her standing there. My old best friend with mascara running down her face, across the playground, sobbing in front of her new chums.
We all have those thoughts that are too socially taboo to admit. At that moment, mine was, “Whatever she’s crying about, she probably deserved it,” with a little smirk at the end. I continued looking down while walking, with a half-smile.
The scene of what just happened replayed in my head. I stopped walking, my smile fading. I looked back up, and over at her, tears still falling from her eyes. I hate crying. I hate watching people cry. It’s horrible. Why did I think it was funny that someone was crying? Sure, she’s my enemy. But does that make it okay to feel happiness from her sorrow?
Everybody has feelings that can be hurt, even your enemies. To cause someone pain, physical or emotional, is never okay. Even though I’ll never admit it to her, she helped me learn an important lesson that day - to always be careful of other people’s feelings.
I couldn’t bear to look at her crying any longer, so I put my head back down and continued walking. This time, no longer smiling.