I would consider myself a people person. I’m very outgoing, I love meeting new people, and I can pretty much have a conversation with anyone. I don’t typically need my alone time or time to recharge- I get my energy from being with and around other people.

When someone says “I hate people,” I just smile and think about how much I love them.

I love that people are all different. Different sizes. Shapes. Languages. Colors. Perspectives. Mindsets. What makes one person smile may make another person weep happy tears. What makes one person thrilled and laugh may make another person terrified and scream. What one person loves another may hate. The feelings of one person may have never been felt by another, and what one person has experienced may be foreign to someone else.

I love that people all feel. Those feelings are unique to the person. Sometimes, you’ll find someone who is so incredibly passionate and seems to have a gift for connecting and empathising with others. If there’s sadness around them, they almost seem to absorb those emotions and reflect what others are feeling. Sometimes, you’ll find someone who always seems to be positive. Even in times of tragedy or stress, they seem to know that things do and will get better, and there’s always a lesson to take out of every situation. Sometimes, you’ll find someone who tends to keep their emotions inside. They’re good listeners, but you never seem to know what they’re thinking. Expression may not be their strong suit, but they are still capable of understanding others. Sometimes, you’ll find someone that isn’t capable of understanding others. Even as a fellow human, connecting with others is a struggle for them. Sometimes, you’ll find someone that seems to have a hard shell but is really full of compassion and emotion. Our exterior isn’t always a fair representation of what lies within.

I love that people can unite. The tragedy of a state becomes the concern of a nation. The loss of a student becomes the sadness of a community. The joy of a new mother becomes the pride of a family. The heartbreak of a best friend becomes the heartbreak of the other. The outburst of the government becomes the outcry of the people.

I love that people can somehow make this big, beautiful, world go round. The minds of the world’s citizens are so powerful. Those minds created life as we know it today. Somehow, we can travel on underground tracks throughout a city. Somehow, we can climb up and up and up until we reach the top of a building, where the walls are glass and it seems as though you should belong with the clouds. Somehow, despite the sun going to sleep and the sky turning its lights on, we can still see. Somehow, a huge, metal, bird can fly thousands of miles, all while full of people. Somehow, there are footprints on the moon.

I love that no matter where you come from, what you look like, what you sound like, who you love, or if you believe in a god or gods or none at all, we’re all people. Each and every one of us.

It pains me that some don’t seem to be aware of this. Instead of acknowledging differences as beautiful, some believe they are destructive and dangerous. It pains me that some people would rather hate than love with all they have. Instead of embracing each other, some would rather tear others down. It pains me that some don’t realize just how amazing it is that we breathe and perceive, that we live and we grow. Instead of appreciating this, some would rather take everything for granted.

This is why I love people. There’s a whole lot of us to love. And there’s a whole lot to love about us.