I once believed I was a wallflower,
A seed sown in an empty field,
Thinking thoughts and speaking in tongues
No one could understand,
A circus clown performing to a crowd of empty seats,
Alienated. Ostracized. Alone.
But the more I observe the human condition,
The more I see that no one is spared from its constraints.
The fact that among so many people we can feel so isolated,
So misunderstood, and believe we’re the only person
In the history of the world who feels this way,
Is the great paradox of our time.
But that’s what it means to be human.
You enter into this world alone
And you will leave it alone.
You spend the time in the middle trying to convince yourself
That we’re in this together – and we are
It just never feels that way.
We each deal with the human longing differently,
But we all know what it is.
The human experience – pain, suffering, being misunderstood, feeling lost.
And that’s the real mystery isn’t it?
Just how do we deal with the inevitable hardships of life?
You can find volumes full of answers,
But you’d struggle to find one that makes life any easier.
The important thing to realize is that there are others
Who have gone through the same trials you’re going through,
Feeling the exact same pain, and there are others
Who can look you in the eye and tell you, “I understand”
And mean it.
They may not be standing next to you,
But they’re out there struggling and searching just as hard as you.
When I used to look out into a crowd,
I’d see strangers, animals I neither related to nor understood.
But now I see brothers and sisters, all connected
Whether white, black, brown, red, yellow, man, woman, young, old, rich, poor.
We are all apart of the human race,
And that’s enough to reach out a helping hand.
Because everyone, whether publicly or privately, are engaged
In a battle within their hearts and minds
And need compassion and care.

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