We Are Human

Look at your friends. You have a lot in common with them, don't you? You like to do the same things. You share similar insight on different issues. But how are they different from you? Are they taller? Are they more outgoing? Are they more into their religion than you are yours? They're different from you.

Look at the people you can't stand. The girl who was mean to you for no real reason in high school. The kid that likes to "one-up" everybody in their stories. The douchebag that cheated on your best friend? But how are they like you? Do they want attention? Do they want friendship? Do they need some way to over come their insecurities?

What about the people you don't like because of their race? Their gender? Their sexuality? The way they look? "I'm not racist. I'm not sexist. And I don't care if two dudes... you know." You might say. And you're probably not lying. And yet...

White women still clutch their purses closer if a large black man is near them. Racism runs rampant in the small town I'm from... I've HEARD people say, "I can't believe we put a n***** in office." Men still like to crack jokes like, "Woman, bring me a sammich." "Why do you need a licsence? There's no highway between the bedroom and the kitchen." And gay people certaintly don't have the rights of straight people.

Not everyone is sexist. Not everyone is racist. And not everyone is homophobic. But there is still enough sexism, racism, and homophobia to give hurtles to anyone who isn't a white straight Christian man.

We are men. We are women.
We are black. We are white. We are Hispanic. We are Asian. We are Indian.
We are gay. We are Lesbain. We are bisexual. We are straight.
We are Hindu. We are Jewish. We are atheist. We are Christian. We are Muslim.
We are young. We are adults. We are elderly.
We are rich. We are poor. We are somewhere in between.
We are human.

We are so afraid of people who are different than us. We are so terrified of people who believe something other than what we do that we forget the value of human life. Yes, we are different. No, that is not a bad thing.

Remember Disney movies? Remember Hercules? He was different in that he was stronger than everybody else. Remember Tarzan? He was different because he was human in a world of gorillas. Remember The Hunchback of Notredame? He was different in the way his body was formed. Remember The Little Mermaid? She was different in that she was curious about humans instead of afraid of them. Remember Pocahontas? She was different in that she fell in love with her father's enemy. Remember Aladin? He was different in that he was poor. All of these stories teach us that we shouldn't ever be threatened by anyone who is different than us. This is a lesson that a lot of us seem to forget.

If every single person in this world could let go of being threatened by someone who looks different, who believes differently, who lives differently than they do, I think a lot of problems in this world could be fixed.

But for some reason, we as humans seem to be designed to hate. And it breaks my heart. Because at the end of the day... we are all human. Good ol' Maslow created that hierarchy of needs.. and at the end of the day, those needs are what we strive for. (If you don't know Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, please google it.) Because, we are human.

We are human.

And I swear, if I see one more status with the word "fag" in it, I am going to do some serious round house Facebook kicking.