Over the past few weeks, I have come to realize how cruel the world can be. While I don’t think this makes us bad people on the whole, it’s always important to stay grounded and be reminded of the importance of kindness and compassion. In the busy day to day of our lives, we continuously focus on ourselves and forget to have empathy for other people. The holidays are the perfect time of year for us to be focusing on how we can help others and become nicer in the process. There is one video this week that has caught my interest, and the eyes of many others. It touched my heart in a very real way.

#StandWithKeaton. I’m hoping by now you have all seen this viral video of this sad and scared little boy expressing his feelings about bullying. He is able to make such an incredible statement at such a young age and what he’s saying is a sad commentary on our times. “Why do you bully? Why do you find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them?” and “People that are different don’t need to be criticized about it, because it’s not their fault.” As the tears roll down Keaton's face, there is not a soul in the world who does not feel for this poor child. What really struck me was the fact that even through his pain, he is still able to give others advice. On the video he tells viewers, “don’t let it get to you, it’s hard, but it will probably get better one day.” Keaton seems very strong even in light of the cruelty that’s been aimed at him. He is trying to help others while recognizing the difficulties of the situation and making it clear that he is hurting.

On another note; I think we all must say bravo to this extremely brave mom who was able to put this video out for the world to see. The hardest thing for a parent is to see your child upset for any reason. For her to be able to help Keaton through this and put it online for the sake of bringing attention to the very real issue of bullying and helping others must’ve been very difficult. I hope she knows it was worth it and what she’s done is helping so many others as well as her son.

The response this video has gotten from society has been absolutely amazing. Huge names like Katy Perry, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez released tweets and videos expressing how much they support Keaton and they’re love for him with the hashtag #StandWithKeaton. Other celebrities like Chris Evans even invited Keaton and his mom to come to the premiere of the new Avengers movie next year. Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk) also responded to Keaton. Who bullies someone whose friends with the Hulk?!?! But in all seriousness, the celebrity response has been really important and has helped this video gain traction which is particularly important for the conversation to take place in all parts of the world.

Sometimes the hardest and most painful things are the things we all need to face. The point of Keaton’s message is to just be kind to one another. At this special time of the year, isn’t that the message we all want to send? What’s the point of being cruel? So Keaton, I stand with you and I know so many of you do too! We can all learn a lot from what we've had to experience and the strength you have shown in spite of the cruelty.