I have been thinking a lot about Robin Williams.

I was heartbroken that someone who filled so many people’s lives with happiness couldn’t find his own. And then I started thinking about how many people in this world are fighting similar battles.

It doesn’t have to be someone who’s struggling with depression, either. It could be the homeless man on High Street who wants nothing but to see a smiling face, yet receives nothing but condescending stares. It could be the foreign exchange students in your classes who are trying to support their families by earning an education, while others waste their tuition by spending that class time tweeting their intolerance toward those students. 

It seems as though we’ve kind of lost that childhood innocence and optimism, and we’ve just become a bunch of cynics. I know you know what I’m talking about.Nobody trusts anybody, we judge others relentlessly and we’re quick to assume the worst about people. And how could we not? 

We live in a world where children in Gaza pay the price for a conflict they can’t comprehend, where new broadcasts report a disheartening number of tragedies, and where stereotypes and prejudice still aren’t dead for whatever reason. 

Once you grow up, you realize that the world isn’t as nice as you thought it was, back when your only worry was getting grass stains on your jeans. And you accept it. 

As 20-somethings, we worry about everything from self-image and relationships to bills and academics. Sometimes it’s a battle in itself to stay positive and grounded during our most stressful times, and we tend to forget that we aren’t the only people in the world who have problems. 

And I think that’s the real problem. We get so consumed by our own lives and issues that there’s little room in our hearts to really care about anyone else’s. But just because we’re growing up, that doesn’t mean we have to let ourselves become jaded and insensitive. 

As the saying goes, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”