Opening my soul to others has never come easily to me. I find myself bewildered by the world on a daily basis. People seem constantly engaged in belittling and hurting one another.
As a society, we are far easier to control when we are kept at war with each other. Over what, exactly? We inhabit this beautiful, colorful, and serene world, yet we struggle to truly enjoy it.
It is as though many walk through life blinded. Have we become so lost as a people? Do we not see that we are strongest when we stand together—woman and man, child, Black, White, Hispanic, Jew, Christian, and every other beautiful expression of humanity? If I did not list your particular group, it was not out of disregard; there are simply too many labels to name.
Through division, we are controlled. At our core, we are all the same: living beings. How we treat and protect life—above all else—is what truly matters. We can disagree over smaller things, but until we fundamentally change how we value life itself, little else will improve. The playground cliques and judgments will simply continue into adulthood.
There is bad in every group, every system, every institution. The problem is that we are so distracted by manufactured conflicts that evil slips quietly into place while we fight one another. Republican, Democrat, Libertarian—do these labels truly mean what they claim, or have they become tools that keep us divided while those in power continue much the same?
We are defined by the content of our character, not by the religious, political, or familial labels we carry. You are you, and I am me. Together, we become “we.” Two are stronger than one. Imagine what a thousand—or a million—united souls could accomplish. Could we then uproot even the deepest evils?
Despite the horrors I have witnessed in my own family, I still believe that most people possess warm, good souls. Too often, they are blinded by discontent, resentment, or the groups they feel pressured to defend. Many are controlled to the point that they will hide or excuse child abuse in order to protect a “family name,” a religious institution, or a social circle. In doing so, they surrender a piece of their own soul to the very darkness they ignore.
The only label I truly value is moral. What if all the moral people stood together? Could we create meaningful, lasting change? Life would become simpler. We would choose leaders based on character rather than party letters. The wolves would find it much harder to disguise themselves as sheep—their true nature would show in their actions.
It is our shared responsibility to fight for and protect life. Anyone who abuses a child is, by definition, severely lacking in moral character. I believe we have the power to change the future for countless innocent souls—if only we would stop allowing the world’s constant bickering to consume us.