How to Stay Soft in a Hard World

CreativeMornings x Al Jalees, at The Cultural House

The World Could Use More Softness

The world feels hard in so many ways. Staying soft doesn’t mean being fragile, it means having the courage to live without carrying an armor. When things fall apart, let’s learn patience and let it take the lead.

This October, the global CreativeMornings theme SOFT was chosen by the Victoria chapter in British Columbia and illustrated by Canadian artist Leah McInnis. In Riyadh, the theme came to life at The Cultural House, and this month's guest was Amani Al Khiami; a humanitarian consultant, trainer, and former UN advisor known for her work in peacebuilding, human rights, and youth development.

CreativeMornings Riyadh brought together readers, thinkers, and creatives for a morning of insight and connection. Guests shared coffee, exchanged books through the Al Jalees Book Swap Library. We all gathered around an intimate talk: Soft with Myself, Others, and Life, which invited everyone to explore what it truly means to remain kind in a world that rewards hardness.

Amani began with a question that lingered long after the morning ended:

“How can I be soft with others if I am not soft with myself?”

Softness with Self

Softness starts within. It’s about being gentle with your own imperfections, even when the world praises you. True softness isn’t complacency, it’s learning patience, humility, and acceptance without giving up your strength. The topic we will discuss in November at Al Jalees Literary Circle explores this theme. Join us on November 19th as we dive deep into The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brene Brown.

“Despair enters the heart quickly, and once it does, it’s hard to let it go,” Amani reflected.

She shared that life can still surprise you in moments of loss if you choose trust. During her university years, she faced financial struggles, uncertain and disheartened. Then, unexpectedly, an email arrived: she had won an academic award with a financial grant. It was a simple yet profound reminder that surrendering control can open the door for grace and opportunity.

Softness with self builds peace.

Soft with Others

Being soft with others isn't submission; It's choosing humility over ego, fairness over resentment, and humor over hostility.

“There’s a difference between being proud and being insufferable,” she said with a smile.

She highlighted the importance of understanding, we are quick to see how others wrong us but slow to admit how we might have wronged them. Amani shared a story from her time with the United Nations. During a workshop on hate speech that turned heated, tempers flared and a fight seemed imminent. With calm words and gentle humor, she de-escalated the situation, restoring peace to the room. That moment she was able to capture the essence of the month's theme: softness can be strength, calm can command.

Softness with others builds trust.

Soft with Life

Softness with life means that we accept to be taught by both ease and hardship. Amani encouraged the audience to notice the small, beautiful things that make life gentle, like a cool breeze after a long day, a sweet smile, a quiet morning coffee. She called this the crowding of blessings, when abundance dulls our sense of gratitude. We begin chasing what we want instead of what we need: peace, rest, and connection. To be soft with life is to loosen your grip on control and let each moment teach you something about balance.

Softness with life builds faith.

Courage Without Armor

By the end of the talk, the room had quieted into reflection. People weren’t taking notes anymore; they were simply listening. To stay soft in a hard world is to choose courage without armor, to listen before reacting, to notice before rushing past, to forgive even when pride resists.
Patience in that first moment of shock can change everything, it shapes how you move through what comes next.

CreativeMornings x Al Jalees Collaboration

Al Jalees continues its partnership with CreativeMornings Riyadh, writing reflections from a literary perspective on each month’s global theme and offering the Book Swap Library, a free community initiative where books find new homes. Softness connects people through empathy, and books connect minds through stories.

In a culture that celebrates speed and multitasking, soft felt like an exhale. The morning at The Cultural House reminded everyone that tenderness is not a weakness but a quiet and calculated form of resistance.

Softness is how we stay human in a hard world.