I know everyone is getting tired of “A Letter to My Best Friend,” or “A Letter to my Sister” but this letter to humanity is long overdue.
Dear Humanity,
The best days we spent together were from the ages of about 3 to 11. Summers felt like eternity and recess felt like five minutes.
I did not know the difference between my friend with brown skin and brown hair or my friend with white skin and blonde hair on the soccer field. All I knew was racing down the grass field and passing to my two friends was the best part of the day.
The only time I spent in front of a computer was in computer lab class, where my legs were unable to stay still, and my fingers itched to climb the monkey bars, or write a story in the grassy fields. I hated this time in computer lab where I would become a machine, practicing typing with repetitive, mindless games.
Middle school came and I learned what a clique was. The first day of school, I did not know where to sit because that would define what type of person I was and who I would sit with for the rest of the year. Why did people care? Why did I care?
I learned that drowning your eyes in eyeliner and wearing ripped jean shorts was “cool.” It also was important to have a Blackberry and God forbid you have the same MySpace song as someone else.
I was raised Catholic, but my family was never very religious. The only religion I saw was love, but I heard stereotypes about certain religions in my community and did not know why people thought that way. I thought the girl with the red mark in between her eyes was nice and she wore pretty dresses, I thought the guy with the black small looking hat was sweet and I used to love playing basketball with him. Why were we all separated now?
I witnessed bullying on social media, gossiping, and rumors. I hear about people killing themselves over these empty monsters hiding behind the safety of their glass screens, typing away their self hate and anger. Why are we killing each other and not helping each other?
I learned about global warming, deforestation, inhumaneanimal treatment.
Please take me back to soccer at recess. Please take me back to writing stories in the grass. Please take me back to the time when I was unaware of the differences between two people, where love and happiness was all I could see.
But, the truth is you can’t go back and unlearn the things you have. You also can’t give the excuse that there is nothing you can do, your vote doesn’t count, one person can’t change the world.
You are right, one person can’t change the world; that’s why each and every one person has to do his or her part. Get out of their own worlds they are absorbed in and come together.
Stop walking passed that homeless man and thinking he needs to get a job. Maybe he was laid off and no places will hire him with the dirt under his fingernails and one pair of clothes?
Stop looking at your phone when you are on the train. Instead have a conversation with a stranger, make someone smile.
Stop worrying about having “the perfect body.” Treat your body right and be healthy and you will have your perfect body.
Stop judging someone before you meet him or her. They are a human like you, no matter their cultural experiences or backgrounds. Treat them with kindness and love.
We need to start remembering that we are all humans, struggling, feeling, and trying to survive. Stop going against one another and start coming together. The world may be a better place if you do your part and treat your fellow human beings and environment with love and respect.