That girl you admire for always wearing a beautiful smile, she cries herself to sleep every night.
That boy who's an incredible athlete, he learned to be tough from defending himself at home.
That girl who's body you'd do anything to have, she has a severe eating disorder.
That boy who always looks so put together, he can barely get out of bed in the morning.
On the surface, people often come across as something completely different than what they are feeling inside.
As a society, we are told to be ashamed of our imperfections, to hide our struggles, to bury our demons deep within our blood.
That girls wear that beautiful smile so no one realizes she cries herself to sleep every night.
That boy busts his ass every game so that his parents might not scream at him later on.
That girl is extremely skinny because she thinks she's fat and barely eats.
That boy puts on his best look every day to hide the darkness he feels inside.
Every. Single. Person on the face of this earth has struggles that no one is aware of, yet we continue to judge, whether it be positively or negatively.
Every. Single. Person on the face of this earth wants someone, anyone, to see through their facade and help them, because hiding the scars only stems from shame.
In this digital age, every one appears to have a perfect and wonderful life. We put our best foot forward and try as we might to portray ourselves in the best light possible.
I'm not exactly sure why this is, other than to hide our imperfections as society has so kindly taught us to.
We don't want other people to see that we are facing and overcoming obstacles, that we are trudging through a tough time, that we need a home away from a horrible home.
It's not fair to judge someone, positively or negatively, based on their outward appearance or actions.
You have no idea how someone wakes up feeling in the morning.
You have no idea what someone goes home to.
You have no idea what someone goes to bed at night thinking.
Take the time to step into someone else's shoes and try to understand what they could possibly be going through.
If you're going to compliment someone, don't just praise his or her body, outfit, or looks.
Tell them they're intelligent, tell them they're kind, tell them they make you happy.
Give them the compliments that will change their mental state to a happy one, not one that, even if given with good intentions, will draw attention to the things they struggle with most.
Don't judge people by their cover, open the book and read what's inside. You never know what you'll find.
