People

Today friends, we are gonna focus on people. You see, there are probably at least 2 of you that are going to read this. One of you is Marissa, and I'm not sure who the other one is, but I'm pretty confident that you are out there.

You see, you two people are very different. Marissa is a girl, person X might just be a boy. This subtle difference means you two think differently about mostly everything, one of you can lift more weight than the other, one's alot better looking than the other, and it's socially acceptable for one of you to have a mustache.

However, you must remember that you two are fairly similar at the same time. According to scientists and whatnot, we share 98% of our DNA with apes. Pretty trippy eh? Sure, we're not too much like apes. We're not as hairy, not as strong, not as funny lookin, but we still share 98% of our genetic material with them.

You two share alot more than that. You're both 2 people that might be interested in reading what I have to say. You both have a mom, and a dad. Whether they be dead, missing in action, or downstairs reading the paper, they exist. You both had to wear diapers for a bit when you were babies, you both peed your bed at least once. You both have places to go, people to meet, and things to do. You both like somebody, maybe you're got a significant other. You both like certain food, you both dislike certain people. You've both probably been to lagoon at one time in your life.

This is why the world works, because it's filled with people like you.

You know all those times you sit and think, just to yourself? All the time you spend walking down the halls at school, pondering whatever there is to ponder, or having a conversation with your friend? Yeah, that sevie you just ran into was doing the exact same thing as you. He was walking along, about 1 foot underneath your field of vision, and he was talking to a friend. He might be as hungry as you are. He might be going to a class he hates; he might be excited to see a girl in that class. He's a human being, just like you.

See, that's something that we tend to forget. We get so wrapped up in ourselves, that we forget that everyone around us does the exact same thing we do. Granted, there is a lot to get wrapped up in, we're very complex, we have deep thoughts, etc. etc. But in the end, the guy that I just passed on redwood road was going to a destination. Just like me. He might be going to burger king to get some food. Or, like me, he might be going to learn a waltz at a distant friend’s house. I have no idea where he is going, but he is definitely going, he has a task, a plan to accomplish it, and now he's working on it.

We tend to forget things like this. I promise you right now, that the world doesn't exist to serve you. The people you talk to and meet every single day are not drones. You're not really the star of this show here on Earth. You're a pretty big part of it, but you're just a supporting actor. At one point I had to really think about this. I had to wonder if I was the only one that thought. I was curious to know if somebody else had ever pondered whether or not the world existed as just one big test, just for them. What are all these people doing here? Are they just like me, here for a certain task, or are they just roadblocks for me?

In all my meandering through life, this subtle piece of knowledge has come in handy to me. Think about it for 5 minutes. I don't know how else to try to explain the phenomenon. People are all the same really. Your teachers, they have a family. Your brother, he's got a family just like yours. The guy who made your shirt in Malaysia is just like you. He has to go to the bathroom everyday just like you do. Remember this, and you'll find yourself being alot nicer to people around you, people are gonna want to be around you alot more, and everything will work nicer.

Well, now you know my secret. Remember that people are people, just like you are. You know yourself better than you know anybody else. Well then, use that knowledge, and apply it to others. You know your fears. You know what, they have fears too. You know what you are lying, you know what you say. Maybe next time you hear that, you might have a clue. You know when somebody needs help, because you know when you need help.

Think about it, use it, and then come tell me about it.