I don’t know you, but I know that when you arrived in this world you were overwhelmed by bright lights and many faces.
I don’t know you, but I know when you were young you laid awake in the dark fearing there were monsters under the bed.
I don’t know you, but I know that as a teenager you struggled to find your place among your peers.
I don’t know you, but I know that one day you locked yourself in the bathroom and cried and wondered how on Earth you were going to get through life.
I don’t know you, but I know there came a point in your life when you realized you had to start taking care of yourself and your own future and it felt scary.
I don’t know you, but I know that at least once in your life you’ve struggled to find love and keep it.
I don’t know you, but I know you once felt betrayed.
I don’t know you, but I know that you once hurt someone with words and realized that you couldn’t take it back.
I don’t know you, but I know you have a strong desire for food, shelter, and clothing.
I don’t know you, but I know you once told a lie and felt ashamed.
I don’t know you, but I know you once did something that still today makes you feel a little guilty.
I don’t know you, but I know that when you had children you finally understood your own parents and had greater respect for them.
I don’t know you, but I know that inside of you is a soul that simply wants to be loved and understood.
I don’t know you, but I know you fear death.
I may not know you, but I do know us. We all seek love. We want acceptance, friendship, security, and to know we will never be alone. We want the world to just work, people to be nice to us, and those in power to actually care about us. We want our children to grow up in a world that is safe, and we know that’s what our parents wanted for us. We want to know that at the end of the day our lives matter and that there is some point to living. We want to be forgiven for the mistakes we’ve made. We want what everyone else wants because we’re more alike than some people realize. There is a lot more in this world that unites us than divides us. When we remember this we will lay down our arms and open them instead. And the world will change for the better.
This I know.
