Shoes, part 2

I feel like I have more to say in continuation from my last post. Continuing on the idea of each of us, strangers to each other, coming from our own background, our own walk of life, there is something that I have been thinking about. While the idea that we are all different and unique and have our own story may seem very isolating and polarizing from each other, I feel it is the exact opposite.

My personal story involves me being raised a Catholic, my whole life. The word catholic itself means "universal", and this characteristic is something that frequently arises in Catholic discussions and is one of the most resounding characteristics of my faith. I think this trait holds true with what I was discussing earlier in the week. We may all be different, and we may have no earthly idea anything about people we pass daily. We may interact with these people, or these people may just pass us by. We all have busy lives, and there is a great number of people we pass daily that we do not even notice or take into account. But the fact of the matter is that what makes us different brings us together as a human race.

I may not have experienced exactly what the person that I pass on the street at 3:28pm on my way to Nutrition today, but what we do share is that we have struggled and we have laughed. We have hurt a friend before, and we have asked forgiveness. We have celebrated birthdays, and most likely have experienced the exhilaration of riding a bike for the first time. The point is, we have walked our own paths, and we are different in thousands of ways, but the similarities we share is what makes us all one family in the universe. I guarantee you, though we walk opposite ways on the sidewalk, and though we speak no words to each other, we both strive to live a good life, to know God or some sort of higher power, and we are both just trying to find our way in life.

Thinking about this gives me a greater empathy and understanding in other people. A friend of mine asked me this week, "Do you ever get angry at anyone, Nikko?" I stopped to think. I get frustrated at people and things that annoy me, but do I ever really, truly get angry at people. The answer is no. I cannot remember the last time I was honestly angry at someone. I attribute this to the fact that I have been actively trying to look at people in a newer light, or with a different lens, perhaps. The lens I use is one not of judgement or criticism, but of acceptance and empathy for my fellow man. Its not easy at first, but I find this way of looking at things to allow me to accept others, and I ultimately feel like I am a better person for it.