Yesterday I watched a friend of my break down. While hanging out with friends, he unexpectedly received some bad news and it was apparent that he was emotional about it. After letting him have a moment to breathe, a few of us hugged him, without even asking what had happened, just to show that we care for him and whatever he is going through. He told me that his friend, who is a brother to him, committed suicide. God, that knocked the wind out of me. I don't even know who his friend is, and it still affected my emotions. That kind of news hurts no matter who you are. Suicide is not something that I take lightly. But throughout the night I stayed nearby my friend and listened in on the things he was saying and why his heart felt so heavy. One of the topics of conversation was the divide between our society, you either are an insanely loving and compassionate person, or you're hateful and mean; there really are not people who fall in between anymore. That's terrifying to me.
I'm lucky to be surrounded by the most kind, thoughtful, and loving people and I would not change a thing, but Ray was right-there is a definite schism. It's absolutely mind boggling to me that as I look around in my community today, the way I classify people is either "a good person" or "a bad person" and truthfully, I'm the type of person that believes everyone is an inherently great person unless they prove themselves to be otherwise. I always want to see the best in people, and I'm often told that that is my downfall. I don’t see it as a downfall at all. Sometimes, I am truly convinced that some people can't see the good in themselves so maybe if I help them find it, they will change their ways. Contrary to people thinking I'm crazy, I've witnessed it happen.
But back to my discussion with Ray… the other topic came about when my friend expressed "I just try my hardest to love everyone so why can't they love themselves and others the way that I love them. " PREACH. If everyone endlessly poured love into one another, wow, could you imagine the world we would live in? My only response I had when he said that was, "Don't let what you're dealing with change the way you love. People who love the most, feel pain and heartbreak the hardest. Keep loving every single person you come in contact with. You may not think you can change the world, but maybe someday you will. Or one of the people that you've continued to love, they'll find an end to poverty or they'll discover a cure for cancer. Your impact on others is exponential, so don't change a thing." I just want to pass that message on to everyone else as well. You don't know the effect you have on others. You smiling at a stranger in a grocery store could inspire them to pay for someone else's meal, or give them hope on a day when darkness feels like it's consuming them. "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and steadily, the world will change.
Spread love, speak peace.
-sgp.
