I grew up in a tiny village in the Rocky Mountains, where I had a really strong sense of community. My neighbours were my family. I was not only raised by my parents, but also my neighbours. They taught me some of the most essential lessons I know. They were a huge influence on who I am today. In African proverbs, they say it takes a village to raise a child, and it's true. Everyone was always looking out for each other. Everyone cared. And when my family moved away when I was 10 years old, I lost that sense of community - we all kind of did. And I think I've spent my life searching for it ever since. Something has always been missing. I've never quite gotten my sea legs. Everywhere and nowhere has always been home. But in the words of Taiye Selasi, "We can never go back to a place and find it exactly where we left it. Something, somewhere, will always have changed; most of all, ourselves." And it was an important move. I am grateful for it in many ways - it allowed me to experience so much that I wouldn't have otherwise. But there are things I've always missed. And as a result, I've searched for this sense of community elsewhere, in all the nooks and cranny's of the world.
I finally found it again 9 years later in travelling, amongst both local people and travellers - people who would care simply because you are a human being. People who would look out for you, help you, make sure you were safe, because you are human. That was enough of a reason to care. And that community of people is probably the most remarkable one I've ever experienced, from both the giving and receiving ends. Maybe it's rooted in the fact that there is no long-term commitment to bear the weight of others lives, to always be a shoulder to lean on, to always show up and care. It's possible. But I'd like to believe it's because being a human who has feelings and a story is enough of a reason to care. Enough of a reason to pause and ask yourself how you could possibly be a kind, compassionate individual in any given situation. Enough of a reason to treat complete strangers as equals; as people who deserve to be seen. And maybe these people, who are curious about the world and each other, are actually willing to recognize these facts of humanity. Maybe it's why we all want to leave the Western world and go somewhere different - go somewhere where people actually understand the meaning of life and what it is to be human; somewhere where community is the foundation off which society is built. And here, in whatever this "Western world" is, we aren't supposed to be humans. Our society is not really built for caring. Nobody seems to want to know the actual, entire human that you are and what has led you to become that way. It's the reason we label people with loaded terms like alcoholic, addicted, homeless, disabled, depressed, mentally ill, reckless, destructive, and the list goes on - we just pick a label and dismiss. We've all been guilty of it at some point. It's the reason our society is so divided. It's the reason we're all secretly kind of miserable. It's the reason we feel alone. Because if you acknowledge the raw truth of another person's human experience, it will most likely reveal some painful truth about ourselves or our own lives that is easier not to know. Because it's easier to push people aside with labels, with dismissive comments, or out of fear. It's much easier. It is also a much lonelier and much less meaningful way to live. At the core of our beings, we are all the same. We are all human. And the scariest thing of all, is those who are too afraid to accept that as true. Those who are too afraid to stop and try to understand. Those who choose the simpler route of walking away or dismissing the challenges an individual may have faced. And in a society full of "highly educated" people, still so few understand. They skipped the lesson on humanity. The fact that at the core of our beings, we are all the same, just never seeped into their bones. It was never absorbed in the rush of it all. I like the places where being human is enough. At the core of our beings, we are all the same. We are all human. And that should be enough of a reason to take the time to try to understand. To open your mind. To look out for someone. To acknowledge an experience or feeling foreign to you as legitimate. To accept. To not dismiss. To truly see people in all of their humanity. To treat people as equals. To be on someone's team. Being human should be enough.
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To all the women and little ladies out there: You are brave. You are strong. You are resilient through the daily fear, the assaults, the degrading comments. You are intelligent. You are light in darkness. You are creative. You are change. And you are so much more than enough. Thank you for the battles you brave every single day.
Today we celebrate us. And we acknowledge our allies. Our supporters. We are not here to practice misandry. We are here to speak our truths. We are here to bring down the walls of those who long ago removed the word feminist from their vocabulary in misunderstanding and fear of its meaning. We are here to celebrate all the wonderful things women do on the daily that go unacknowledged, miscredited, unappreciated. We ask to not be treated as less. We ask that our bodies not be objectified as playgrounds. We ask for recognition that there should be no need to give thanks - being treated as equal and with respect should be a given. That we should all be on the same team. We should all be on the same level. We appreciate those who celebrate with us. And we hope, that one day, our lives will not be a balance beam walk in a culture of scarcity. We hope, one day, you will all see us as enough, too. "What's the greatest lesson a woman should learn? That since day one, she's already had everything she needs within herself. It's the world that convinced her she did not." -Rupi Kaur I took a class last year that involved examining the role of social media in our understanding of international issues. We looked at many social media frenzies like the one occurring right now, and asked, “Do we just share, like and comment to feel like we’ve done our bit of good for the day? Do these small actions really mean anything? Or are we just liking and sharing for the feel good factor, and not really educating ourselves on the underlying issues?” I have never had a class teach me to so critically question all the ways we can approach international issues, and I would like to urge you to think about how you are approaching them. Do you really care about them? Does the way you are choosing to care reflect your beliefs? Don’t get me wrong, I believe social media can be an incredible platform to convey messages, ideas, and initiate change – if we use it appropriately. All I’m asking is, don’t just do… think. Think about what you are doing, how is it contributing (positively or negatively) to the issue at hand, and are there better ways?
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