One Big Human

Each day we focus on our own needs, our own desires, our own beliefs and biases. We determine the worth of others based on their political leanings or their religious ideology. We decide their importance in our lives according to how closely they think, look and act like us.

We judge them.

A few days ago devastation struck Japan. Following a violent earthquake, a tsunami washed away thousands of lives and leaving many more without homes and basic services. Families were torn away by the angry waters and entire villages were decimated.

We held our collective breath watching in horror as mothers searched for children they would never hold again. Children screamed in fear with no father to protect them. Wives slowly came to the realization that they would never find their husbands.

As we watched, most of us did not see Japanese suffering, nor did we view them as Buddhists, or even Asians, but as fellow humans. We shared in their fears and pain with an empathy that only this type of devastation can evoke. Our hopes and dreams were put on pause as we tried to find ways to aid our brothers and sisters on the other side of the globe.

Imagine if we held on to this feeling. Imagine if we could always see others as fellow humans on an unpredictable journey through life, rather than just people who aren't like us. Imagine after this terror has passed and these brave souls have rebuilt their lives, if their politics and their religion didn't hinder our desire to know them and respect them. Imagine if that idea held true for all people.

What if the lesson we learn from this catastrophe is that love can transcend all things and bind souls tighter than any treaty or any shared ideology? If only that moment when we held our collective breath and prayed for our fellow humans could last. If we could extend our love for them past the days of their suffering into the days of their renewal.

Perhaps we might even take a moment to see the people around us everyday as fellow humans created by the same loving God. What if we could whisper a prayer for strangers on the street, or our hated political opponent rather than spit a venomous curse under our breath because they are different. Perhaps we could try to be empathetic and supportive in times of fortune, and not just during days of destruction.

What if we started acting like adults and realized that life is too short to bitch and moan about differences and that it's time we started to listen more; to accept each other with respect and dignity rather than vile contempt? Can we put away our biases and hold on to the idea of love just a little bit longer?

Can we at least try?

When I say my prayers I will be praying again for those who have been touched by this tragedy. My heart breaks for them and I fear that words are a poor vehicle for expressing the pain that I feel. But I know that together our love will have a positive impact. Especially if we can share it with one another and be just one big human for a little while, and lift each other up during this agonizing time.

Mother Teresa once said, "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

She was one smart mother.

Unapologetic

I'm a scientist and a Christian. I am a woman who loves fast cars and yawns during chick flicks. I'm a 12-year old trapped in a 40-year old body wrapped around an old soul. I wear a mohawk with ripped jeans and a business suit with 4" stilettos.

I'm a dichotomy. I don't fit in and I don't blend in. I will not stay inside that little box of yours and I won't wear your label.

I'm not here to win your approval.

Society doesn't like the outsider, the rebel, the outlier. These people are scary...uncertainty unnerves us. We like normal. We like safe.

Rosa Parks was tired of safe. Thomas Jefferson was not about to go with the political flow. Ghandi had had enough of compliance. Wilma Mankiller was beautifully unconventional.

Those who dare to step outside of the neatly painted lines are the ones we remember. The history books are not filled with stories about those who complied with normalcy. Go ahead, take a step outside of your comfort zone and just drink in the freedom.

I'm not advocating chaos and anarchy. I'm advocating finding your passion and your voice...working out your dreams even if it means breaking boundaries and stepping on the occasional toe.

Life is a gift so live it every moment of every day and don't stop until you are out of dreams. Stop listening to the critics and shut out the voices that disapprove of you. You don't need them..if they don't get you, then move on and find someone who will. And someone will...God already does, and it won't take long before those around you begin to recognize your uniqueness and love you for it.

Growing up I was a very shy child. I conformed out of fear, obeyed the rules out of necessity because to stand out was to be different and being different meant a lack of acceptance. I wasn't brave enough back then.

Now, I am unapologetically ME. My bravery comes from two distinct sources: my faith and my friends. No matter how badly I screw up, I will always be loved unconditionally by my God. He has given me a passion for life and I will use every sweet and precious moment I have to fill up on love and laughter until my very last breath and proclaim the truth that He is my strength.

My beloved friends also give me courage. Looking past my flaws, they have found the good in my eccentric ways and have embraced the insanity that is my life. Their devotion bolsters my heart against the pressure to conform and their love is the song that I dance to when I'm waiting on the outside looking in.

And I can never thank them enough. Not ever.

The moral of the story is to rejoice in your differences, to embrace the things that are unique and cherish the unexpected qualities in yourself. It isn't an easy path to walk...it can be lonely and often confusing, but the rewards are amazing.

Don't you owe it to yourself to really BE yourself?