Why We Need Each Other

I want to share something with you:

Last night I was assaulted.  It wasn't comparable to a blood-gushing horror movie or a comedic date gone wrong: it was real, and it's still hard for me to comprehend.  After leaving the bar, one thing led to another, and suddenly I was in an immense amount of pain.  Minutes felt like hours as I was struggling for my breath.

While the physical bruising may heal, I'll be left with the emotional damage from the memories of that night.  I re-run the scenario in my mind for what seems to be hourly, wondering where things went wrong: "Was it my fault? Of course not.  I don't know.  Maybe."

I've been playing so many characters for much too long now; I think we're all guilty of being someone else.  I feel like the leading role in my own life, but I've forgotten fact from fiction.  I am so many fragments of unfamiliar people sculpted into somebody I don't even know: "Who am I? How am I going to make an impression? When will I make a lasting impact in this life?"

I've felt lost for a while now.  I drink much more than I should.  Most of the time, I feel sad- not the sadness that stems from being lonely or broken-hearted, but the sadness that is tied to a life of confusion and insecurity.  I can't remember how many identities I've taken on as my own within the past few years.  I have not been myself for a while now, but I can't seem to remember where I left off.

I'm not writing this to you to shed a dark cloud over your calm evening.  I have learned a lot from the encounter I experienced last night.  I have learned that we are all aching to be somebody else.  In fact, we are much more alike than we are different.  

But, the most important thing I have taken away from last night, is that no matter whether you are the victim or you are indeed victimizing someone - we are all weak.  It's all right to feel vulnerable, and it's fine to be unsure of things.  You don't need all of the answers, life will provide you with them.  I've also come to realize that there is no comfort in trying to change the past, it is essential in moulding our future.

While I was laying in this person's bed, tears running down my face, I realized that screaming and pleading would get me nowhere.  The key to living a moral life is empathy, and empathy worked in my favour that evening.  I found this moral softness within myself and felt compassion for this young man - it was refreshing.  I felt human again; I felt like myself.  I wasn't trying to be somebody else, I was trying to make a positive impact on my soul as well as someone else's.  While this imposition disturbed him initially, it resulted in me fleeing the scene.  I think that my ability to become more understanding in that moment truly resonated with him.

The moral of my own experience, in my opinion, is that we need each other.  We have to learn to understand each other.  The key to living a good life is living it with other people.  Avoid secluding yourself for too long, allow yourself to feel genuine emotion.  Interact with other people and remember that evolution relies on our communication.

So whether you've had a good day or a bad day, remember to feel, and remember that things could always be worse.  So make this a good day, because it's important that the good outweighs the bad in your life.  

Wake up, open the curtains, and face the uncertainty of your day.  Love all of those around you and do things that make you feel overwhelmed with passion and joy.  Get inspired,  But most importantly, appreciate the gift that is yourself.  Your mind is incredibly unique.

We've all experienced things that have shaped us into the people we are today.  Remember that we are all human - remember to empathize.