This week I have been taking the T to and from the Pantos Project dance intensive in Boston. For the past week I have watched so many people go to and from places that it made me wonder. I started wondering about where they were headed, how their days were going, and who they were as people. Coming from suburbia I found that I never really got to see all different types of people from a wide diverse of ranges from race, ethnicity and economic backgrounds. I believe it is eye opening especially coming off the T, and walking the streets of Boston seeing homeless people on the streets holding up signs in the hope that they can get enough money to maybe buy a sandwich. I also witness people walking right past them. However, I cannot judge because I do the same thing mostly because I am focused on where I am going. You realize in that moment how selfish and divided we are as people when we refuse to see beyond ourselves. I have been fortunate that I have not had to “beg” for money off the streets which is why I feel guilty just walking past people that need it the most.

I felt inspired to write about my “interesting” experience on the T when I heard about all the hate and killings that have been happening in the world. I believe that the only way we can (personally) change things is if we perceive people in a different way. If we all took a moment to just look at ourselves as human beings I honestly think we would be more understanding as well as accepting. I was also fortunate enough to go to a high school where they taught us about social injustices and that the only way the world can change is if we do something to change it ourselves. It is not enough to write on Facebook about how outraged you are about the killings that took place in Dallas or about all the African American unarmed teens that were killed by police officers. It is even more important to promote love and acceptance to all. Practicing acts of kindness such as giving a dollar or two to a homeless man, giving up your seat on a train for an elderly man or woman, smiling at a girl who seems sad that day, and or sitting with someone at the lunch table that seems lonely. Those things matter, and being kind to others catches on in a good way.

As I get off the T to then walk seven minutes to the dance intensive I think about my intention for today’s long day full of dancing. Wednesday was improvisation day, and for me it was all about healing. I wanted to let go of all the sadness I felt from all the absolute atrocities that were happening in the world. I needed to use the art of dance to give me an answer as to why all of these bad things were happening to good people. That is where art comes in. Art can heal the world, and I also believe that it can be an outlet to let go of the sadness we feel during these hard times. As I sit on the T listening to my Ben Howard on Spotify I look around the train thinking about the people that are in my cart. I give people a smile, I hope their day is going well, and I hope to God that they are the ones that will spread the kindness that we absolutely need in this world.

Make Art Not War,