My eyes are open, are your's?

Have you ever gone for a walk and realized so many of the people you see are indistinguishable from each other? No matter how tall or short, young or old, if one of them walked up to you the next day and said “Didn’t I see you walking down the street yesterday?” you likely wouldn’t even be able to recall them, have you noticed? Our minds have been so trained into seeing people as just other bodies, not taking their personalities, lives, emotions, thoughts into account even though so many of us get so wrapped up in movies. Have you noticed that?

Now think to that last random person you actually remember. Were they dressed differently? Were they odd, unattractive, stood out in a way that was somehow displeasing? Now, can you recall the last random person you remember due to them being admirable, different in a good way, beautiful? Majority would remember the unattractive/odd person, yet not the one who they found interesting/beautiful, are we really so trained to only notice those who are displeasing?

There’s a point to the above, the truth of the matter is that we, as human beings, are so use to looking for flaws, we actively seek out the flaws in others, you can deny it all you want but some where’s in the back of your mind that truth is there. However, what makes the difference between a decent person and a self righteous one is how they react. Do you react with disgust? Degrade the person in your mind? Think to yourself that you’re better then that person you find unappealing for whatever reason? Are you saying no to each of those questions though you know that you honestly do tend to do those things, knowing no one will ever know those unsavory thoughts in the back of your mind? Now, what if I was to tell you that the person you found so degrading, likely didn’t even notice you? Or worse yet, saw you and thought the exact same about you.

Welcome to what I observe in people every single day. However, there’s something I do realize that, from what I have observed, many others overlook and that is the fact that every single person I come across, no matter how attractive, unattractive, different or bold they are has their own story, their own thoughts, their own personality. Allow me to get down to the blunt fact. Most people see other human beings as nothing more than shells, bodies who, unless they are related to them, they honestly don’t give a damned about.

Open the newspaper, flip to the first article about a violent crime, think about that victim. To you they are likely no one, you could read the article, say you hope they’re alright, and not think about it again for the rest of your life. Now, what if that victim was your spouse, your friend, your parent, your child, would you be able to brush it off that easily? Well that victim was someone’s child, someone‘s friend, someone’s spouse maybe, or maybe even someone’s parent, yet you honestly do not care do you? We, as a people, have become so numb that the only time we care about anything is when it effects us or someone we’re close to, now here’s the hurtful truth about that: It’s proof of being self centered.

Now, before you whip out the torches and pitch forks on me, allow me to say, and openly admit, that I am not much better myself in that aspect, no one is. There is not a single person on this earth who is not at least slightly self centered. The problem there however, is that many refuse to acknowledge the fact. Now, I’m not saying that you should be worried about each and every person’s emotional state, while it would be nice to be able to do such, the human mind would not be able to withstand being subjected to that much worry without being rendered clinically insane, what I am saying, however, is maybe it would do some good to open our eyes a bit to the people around us. Instead of looking for something to judge someone harshly on, look for something about that person you find displeasing that is admirable. Maybe that punk girl with the bright pink hair is not a freak, but someone who has the guts to be herself in a judgmental world, that old man who gets in your way because he’s walking so slow, even though he’s aging and his mobility is impaired he’s still trying to be independent instead of asking someone else to go out and get something for him. How about that cashier who seems to be having a bad day? He or she may be showing more restraint than even you have to still do her job regardless of the fact one of their parents is in the hospital, you just don’t know, do you? You glance over people and, they’re just people, do you ever stop to think that just maybe, there’s more to them then you see on the surface? Or do you think the only person who’s story matters is your’s?

I watch people, how they act and react, I can’t help it, I tend to study them, I find their interactions fascinating and I’ve noticed these things. I’ve noticed some of the things I mentioned above in myself as well, but I think there is one huge difference between me and a good number of these people I observe, that difference being, I see my flaws, I acknowledge them, I work to fix them to at least some degree. A good many others seem blinded to their own actions. They either willingly ignore these flaws in themselves, try to explain them away or flat out deny them. But what happens when you acknowledge them as a part of yourself? You can try to deny it all you want but that does not change the fact these traits are present in every person on this earth, some times to a greater extent, sometimes to a lesser one, but they are still there. If you want to truly see this world, you need to see yourself and accept your flaws are as much a part of you as your strengths.

 Also, for those who read this and had it crop up in their head that I’m crazy or don’t know what I’m talking about, or any of those other little rationalizations you may be coming up with, as well as to those who have been hanging on to any mistake I made in typing this just to give you something to judge on when I deliberately went without spellchecking or proofreading this entry before posting it for that very reason. . .well, guess what. . .