Imagine yourself driving down the street and then stopping at a stoplight. What do you see? Usually another car right beside you, but do you notice the person driving this car? Do you recognize that they have a life outside of the car that they are driving? They have a life that you will never know about. They have had hard times in their life as well as great times with stories that might make you cry and times of such bliss that thinking about the memory still brings a smile to their face.
Every human being understands that every person around them has a life. It's obvious that they do, because, well, they are living. Yet, not every person fully takes the time to grasp what this means because it is sometimes too difficult for us to comprehend. There are so many people in the world and each person is the main character in their own story. Every single person. That is incredible, but it is also hard to imagine. This realization is noticeable to anyone that thinks about it, but it is still difficult for my brain to wrap around the idea that every person has a story, and I will never know that story.
The only reason that I had this realization was one day at a traffic light I saw a man singing along to the radio with his daughter. They both seemed to be singing at the top of their lungs, but I could not hear them. When I saw how happy they were, I smiled and then the man, while still singing, looked at me and smiled back. I hope that I will never forget this seemingly ordinary image because it made me realize something extraordinary. This man and his daughter have a life, and I will never know about it. They have friends and family that care deeply about them. To this day, I do not know where they are now and what their lives are like. I will not know what that young girl will grow up to be or what sacrifices she will make to get where she is going.
It is important for everyone to think about this concept in our world today. The world is so massive and you will never be able to know everyone’s story, but if someone wants to tell theirs to you- listen. Every person has a life that contains both beautiful and awful moments. Some people have hilarious stories that will make you laugh until you cry and others have stories that are so awful, you might not want to hear them.
The point of this article is to remind everyone that they are not the only main characters in the world, although it may feel that way. To others’ stories, you can be a close friend, a sister, someone they went to high school with, a background character, or someone they will never even see. Everyone has a story. Everyone is a living being that deserves to be treated well, so be kind. Be kind to the other main characters out there because you never know how you can affect someone’s story.
