It’s easy to get bogged down by the hardships of day-to-day life. It’s natural to see all that’s wrong in the world and feel overwhelmed—especially this year, which has been marked by so much tragedy.
You turn on the news and see a pandemic that’s slowly spreading its way throughout the world and killing off a large piece of our humanity. The numbers slowly tick up each and every day. It’s hard not to live in a state of worry and fear when the mortality of yourself and others is center stage in your mind.
You see the segregation of people across the nation, so divided by politics. We seem to have forgotten that we’re one nation and instead are divided by who we vote for in the elections. No matter if someone is labeled family or friend, we will separate ourselves in an instance if someone lies on the opposite side of our political viewpoints.
You see, the injustices that have become commonplace. Injustices because of what one looks like, how they label themselves, the color of their skin. The injustices that have reached a boiling point.
It’s easy to see all the pain in the world and let it consume you completely. Let this soak into your bones and take you down—down to your knees and into the darkest depths of your soul. Know that it’s okay to feel it all. It’s okay to sit in the discomfort. But do not stay in the darkness and forget how much light lies in the world—how much light shows up every day in some seemingly small way.
Crinkled eyes showcasing a smile behind the mouth that’s covered by a mask. A warm meal to soothe your belly and soul. A check-in from a friend you haven’t been able to see in-person for a while. These moments of light will bring you back, will raise you up from your knees to solid footing, so you can move one foot in front of the other and be the change we all need in this world.
Darkness shows us pain and teaches us to feel. Lightness shows us hope and gives us inspiration to take action. We need the balance of both. We need a humanity that feels and empathizes in order to have a society that is moved to change and build anew.
It’s all a balancing act. If we learn to balance the scales, we might just find ourselves on the other side of this looking towards a better and brighter future for us all.