maybe it's our problem, not theirs

if you've ever seen Rachel's challenge, you've heard of the chain reaction of kindness and compassion she really believed in. she said that if one person showed kindness to someone else, it would continue through that person to the next person and so on. I think that is the stance we as a society need to take on our lives.

in the wake of the sandy hook elementary school shootings, our nation was left heartbroken and somewhat empty. that shooter who went into the school, had he been shown some sort of kindness, compassion, or felt loved by his fellow classmates, may not have taken the lives of so many innocent people last Friday.

I see it walking through the halls at my own school. everybody knows that weird kid who has no friends, and yet no one steps out and asks him how he's doing. that kid spends 8 hours a day 5 days a week in pure loneliness. it isn't fair.

I think the point I'm trying to make is that other people's depression or other issues may have nothing to do with drugs, alcohol, or a bad home life or the fact that their boyfriend or girlfriend just broke up with them. it may just be that they're lonely. they're people just like you and me but have no one to turn to. they have feelings, and they know when others don't like them, just like we do. I think it's time we stop looking around at everyone else's issues and trying to solve them and we solve our own. maybe we are the ones who could prevent suicides. maybe we are the ones who can prevent a school shooting. maybe one kind word can prevent something like 9/11. maybe we just don't know it yet, because we really haven't tested it out. a small act of kindness can make somebody's day.

I want to encourage anyone who reads this to step out of your comfort zone. to reach out to someone tomorrow or today or any time and let them know you care. no one should ever feel alone in this life.

if you're reading this and you are that person who spends every day at school or at home lonely or depressed, know that there are people out there who love you.

show kindness and compassion to someone today, because it might be our only hope.