Crossing the Line – Hitting Below the Belt

We usually have a hard time limiting or holding ourselves to stay behind the boundaries. When a person is highly motivated or interested into something, they have a tendency to indulge themselves on the situation, not aware that it’s too much already. Crossing the line may start in the smallest details and may end up in big ones tending to hit others below the belt.

Is there a difference between Crossing the line and Hitting Below the belt?

Trying to recognize the difference merely depends on the intention and its effect on the other person involved. Usually, people associate “Crossing the Line” as a harmful thing. Negative as it may seem, crossing the line may also be an act of bravery. There are situations when a person needs to cross the line, circumstances like telling your best friend that you’re in love with him/her. Beyond the line lays a great risk, risks that may either make the time of your life or such that may prevent you to move beyond the line for the rest of your life. It may sound as good as it seem but “hitting below the belt” shows a different scenario. In this case, you either do it unintentionally or intentionally, though such intentions are often unacceptable and bad. However, may it be intentional or not à it causes pain and hurt feelings all at the end.

Both are products of good or bad purpose, intended or not. What difference does it make anyway? The only divergence is how it distress the persons involved. A person doesn’t habitually realize the consequences of their actions. It’s an egotistical mechanism of a certain individual which primarily entail insensitivity or oversensitivity. In fact it even reaches a point where the regularity of a certain action pushes one’s self to move to the next level at the expense of others.

No one is ruling out that people should not cross lines. We should not limit ourselves from doing that, it essentially helps us grow and move further. Yet, this does not give us the license to go all the way. We should always learn by heart that in everything we do, we should be sensitive enough on the feelings of others. It is significant that we assess the maturity or readiness of other people to adapt the consequence of our actions and at the same time we should know how we stand in their lives. Our relationship with people will best explain how we handle situations with them. True enough that from time to time we use such mechanism as an offense and defense; to save ourselves and intentionally hurt someone. Nevertheless, will that make you feel better if you win, but you didn’t play it fair?

Literally speaking, when a boxer is highly aggravated to win, he may hit his opponent below the belt. It is a premeditated act that will result severe pain. Unlike when people simply cross lines, he may cross as many different lines, just depends where it will lead them; it’s like delivering a good legal punch to the opponent. When you cross lines, you hit the person in the head but when you hit below the belt you hit them in the heart. In the end, it may have a double standard effect; one can make the best out of you or both can be damaging to a person’s holistic formation. It is no longer an issue of good or bad intentions, what’s important is how we manage the situation.

“Bravery is not a crime, but too much of something is always bad”