Ghosts

We live on a planet populated by billions and billions of people. People of all religions, backgrounds, experiences. People who have dreams, fears, insecurities. People who are searching for answers, who crave love. People who are lost.

And yet we put on a happy face, get dressed, go to work (or school or whatever it may be) and we survive. Barely. We breathe in and out. We do our thing. We move. Because moving is the only thing that catapults us from whatever we're running from. Moving is the only thing that keeps us alive.

And if we move fast enough, if we're numb enough, we can ignore the billions of other people drifting alongside. We can swing our oars in icy waters and navigate the icebergs without thinking twice about anyone else. Because sometimes, facing others forces us to face ourselves. And that's just too damn terrifying.

The problem with this world is not the violence. It's not Ebola, racism, injustice, rape. It's not the murder of innocent school children, guns, or even worthless world leaders. (I'm not saying these aren't problems, these ARE huge problems, but...) The problem with this world is us. All of us. Me. You. Everyone.

When we turn a blind eye.
When we fail to see people, really see them for who they are, what they're capable of.
When we put ourselves first all the time.
When we care more about how we look on the outside and less about how we look on the inside.

When we don't tell people how much they matter.
When we don't give someone a hug.
When we don't listen.
When we put our pride above everything else.
When we laugh too little.
When we stop dancing.
When we forget.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, "We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

Everyone we meet: on the bus, at school, at church, at the bar is fighting a battle. Maybe it's time we build one another up, love one another, and stop pretending to be invisible.