There is so much chaos and heartache happening all around us at any given moment. From acts of terrorism to acts of hate and violence towards each other on the street, it's so easy to become overwhelmed and consumed by it all.
There are people who choose to live blindly and disregard issues. Instead of reading or researching, they simply turn to the latest episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to numb their minds. Some people become bitter and protective and, instead, choose to live their life at arm's length. Some become so swept into the hurricane of sadness, that they break and bury themselves beneath all the world's pain until they are hollow and unsteady, easily blown down by the gentlest breeze. Some of us can't even see humanity at all anymore.
I certainly don't pretend to have it all figured out. But, I keep seeing and hearing the question of , 'where is the humanity?' I'm seeing this question asked as if it were some great mystery. Truth is, you don't need to look very far.
Tomorrow, or the next day you're driving home from work during rush hour, and you're stopped at a busy intersection, take a moment. Take a moment and look around you. Pay attention to all the faces in the cars next to you, and strain your eyes to see as many as you can in front of you and to the sides of you. Those faces belong to people. Every person in each different car.
Sitting in your car alone, you may be tempted to start thinking of your life. How's everything going with you lately? How's your love life? How are your finances? Are you stressed? Has something been worrying you lately? STOP. STOP THINKING ABOUT YOU. Stop staying in your little bubble inside your car like the windows surrounding you aren't just as transparent as those selfish notions.
You don't need to be torn apart with heartbreaking stories to feel a connection with another human being. Remember, we're just at an intersection. Yes, there certainly are powerful, monumental issues that are nationwide and worldwide. That, I don't have a quick fix for. But, if you want to just experience a momentary note of humanity, here's how: start humanizing.
The young girl in the Toyota in front of you, that's her first car. She worked part time and all through the summer to save for it, and to her, it's everything. Do you remember your first car? All the memories, all the moments you shared with friends. Play the images through your mind like you're watching a slideshow about your life. There are 7 billion people on the planet. Not all of them have first car stories. Some of them have much sadder stories to tell. This Toyota, that is only one of the 7 billion stories that are existing.
Look to your right, and wonder what is bothering the old man with a Santa Claus beard. What has been on his mind? Perhaps, he is worrying about if his dog peed on the carpet again. The woman in the sedan across from you seems disheveled. You wonder if she's even brushed her hair today. She could be lazy. She could have woken up late. She could be a single mother who has sacrificed so much for her kids, including a few moments to herself this morning. She could be depressed, and in her depression lost the motivation for even the simplest tasks.
It doesn't matter if the story is true. The thing is, when you start to think of people as more than just traffic or more than just a long line at the coffee shop, an incredible thing happens. So start to think of them as a young girl late for her first day at a new internship, the future CEO of the next best smartphone company that will eventually make Apple incompetent or a father who just found out he's now a grandfather.
There are an immeasurable amount of moments in your life like this, with an immeasurable amount of passersby. You may never know where all of these people are coming from. Some are getting off work, or returning from school, or just driving through- for so many reasons they are all driving into this same intersection with you. You may be going home to your wife and kids, or to your parents, or to your dog. Everyone at this intersection is also going home, to their home.
At this moment, neither your story nor any of the others truly matter to anything of substance. For these brief few seconds, we are at the same place at the same time.
