Life is often hard and whether we acknowledge it or not, we may all have become a bit hardened through the very act of survival.  We live in a world that worships the strong and powerful and overlooks the weak and powerless. In striving to be the first across the finish line, we often forget the individuals who placed second, third, and so forth. When life is based upon spreadsheets and bottom lines, it certainly takes a lot for a genuine teardrop to fall.