Being a victim is often a part of everyday life. No one is perfect; therefore no one’s life is perfect. However, there are different degrees of victimhood. Each time is person is hurt, or victimized, it leaves scars, a wound that must be addressed. For if we as individuals ignore that wound, it can fester and get much worse than it was to begin with. Each scar left from the hurt we have endured needs our full attention, patience, and determination in order to heal properly. Because when we leave a problem too quickly, it is guaranteed to come back.

Emotional and spiritual wounds are no different than physical ones in the aspect that we must give them the attention they need to heal. The difference in this is that a physical wound can be treated and healed, mostly, by itself. Emotional wounds must be healed inside oneself. It is often harder to heal an emotional wound if we are not strong as a person. If we have low self-esteem, or are always down on yourself, it is very difficult to move past an emotional wound. We must be strong in mind and soul, before we are strong in body.

Victory. What is victory? The Webster’s definition of Victory is “The overcoming of an enemy or antagonist.” In my experience, sometimes the enemy or antagonist is yourself. We can be our own worst enemy, especially when we have been through one or many traumatic experiences. Victory can also be defined as something you are trying to accomplish, something you have been trying to accomplish for a very long time. That is more of my personal definition for victory. In my personal experience, I have found myself a victim far too many times, in my personal opinion. To me, Victory used to be based on stopping myself from being a victim yet again. But that’s something you can’t stop. It is a part of your life. Everyone hurts, one way or another. If someone else isn’t making you a victim, then you’re turning yourself into one. In my case, I wouldn’t speak to people, I completely shut myself out from the world, and the lack of social interaction made me numb inside. And once I put myself back out there, I felt so much better, and so much more alive. Yes, I did continue to get hurt, but at least I could feel again. Getting hurt is a part of life. It’s how you deal with the hurt and the pain that really matters though. And to remember to never let that hurt define you as a person. Because we are so much more than our scars.

In conclusion, everyone goes through Victory over Victimhood. Everyone gets hurt, and everyone needs to take time to heal. Whether your scars are emotional or physical, it takes a toll on you. The realization that I didn’t have to be a victim anymore is what got me through some of my darkest times. Because in the end it’s all up to us. Will we let our scars and wounds define us? Will we let them decide who we are as an individual? That’s entirely up to us. It takes inner strength, and a very supportive environment around us, but it’s definitely worth it.