Is it just me, or does everyone seem very tense these days? We constantly feel the need to put others down in order to make "good" conversation. Seriously. I've been involved in so many conversations where it seems like all there is to talk about is how another girl does her makeup, or who so-and-so is dating now, and why they shouldn't be and how they're just bound to not last. Political views are something we like to bag on others about. It's almost as if we determine someone's value and intelligence based on who they're voting for or what political party the belong to. Let's be honest here America, this election year, there are way too many issues behind each candidate and neither Trump nor Clinton is a great choice. Even if you think your candidate has no flaws, one flaw still remains and that is the other half of the United States that disagrees.
We're so divided.
Lately, I've really been trying to talk positively about others and stop with the gossip. I catch myself in the act quite a bit more than I would like. It may sound super cheesy or late 1960s, but I honestly believe that as a society, we could go very far if we just focused on loving and accepting each other instead of putting others down. Love humanity. Love progress. Love individuality. If you really start thinking about the positive things we as a people have accomplished, it's amazing. We're amazing.
One of my all-time favorite books is "Humans of New York" by Brandon Stanton. If you haven't heard of the book or social project before, I'll briefly explain it to you. It essentially began as a photography project to build a collection of New York's variety of inhabitants. Eventually, Stanton (the author), began interviewing his subjects and caught glimpses of their lives as he went along. I can't imagine how fascinating this must have been to hear all these strangers' stories and tales. The book has a collection of paragraphs and photos of various people that he stumbled upon in New York at the time. Each story is unique and really can be quite simple, but alluring and thought-provoking nonetheless.
If you think about it, with seven billion people in the world, each day gets lived seven billion different ways. We're all just trying to make it. Trying to do our best.
The question is, can we cut each other some slack? Or is it too much of a stretch to make someone's day by complimenting them? If you think someone's outfit is cute, tell them! Nothing makes my day more than getting a simple compliment from a complete stranger or a close friend. I know I'm not the only one who thinks about it for the rest of the day, too.
Society would be a much nicer place to live in if we all tried our best to love and accept each other-- political and religious affiliations aside.
No one wants a divided country, so maybe it's time for us to step up and be more accepting of each other. Whatever we've been doing lately has obviously not worked; I think we need to try something new. Maybe instead of focusing on why your party is right and the other is wrong, we should try and merge the gap. Find a common ground. Something we all want. Something we all need.
I believe that would be love.
