empathy.

people make the world go round.
we share our thoughts.
our opinions.
our ideas.
we have conflict.
sometimes we work it out.
sometimes we don't.
but empathy is the foundation of a person.
we connect to people.
we listen to them.
and along the way, we become better people ourselves.

empathy is like a seed.
every day you water it.
every day you watch it grow.
and it becomes a tree.
it's small.
but then it's big
and then it's the tallest tree there ever was.
sometimes people try to cut your tree
and it's hard to see things from their point of view.
sometimes there's a storm
and it's easier to sit and feel sorry for yourself.
a tree grows from the bottom up
and its roots are what keeps it standing.
empathy is courage.
empathy is strength.
empathy is hope.

the world is a good place
but it's a bad place.
every day new friendships are made
and every day old friendships are lost.
no one is what they seem
and you don't see everything.
the most popular girl in school
could come home and cry.
the most happy boy you know
could come home every day only to feel unappreciated.
the friendliest girl you've met
could come home and berate her family.
the smartest boy you've come across
could come home to be told he was never good enough.

empathy is the knowledge
that everyone is fighting their own battles.
some people couldn't care less about money or power or fame
if they can't have what they want most, to be happy.
some people wish that one person reached out
and showed that they cared.
when you hurt someone
whether with your words or your hands
they break a little bit inside
even if they don't show it.
everyone cares what other people think.
it's human nature.
empathy is realizing that you can affect someone so easily.
empathy is realizing that you have the choice
to make someone smile every day.
empathy is realizing that nothing is more powerful
than kindness.
empathy is realizing that
you know what?
life is hard.
not just for you
but for everybody.
everyone feels pain
and loss.
you're not the only one
who sits in your bed
and cries because something didn't turn out how you hoped.
some people don't have beds to sit in at all.
your problems seem big to you.
you say you're depressed, but do you know what that means?
you say you feel so terrible you could kill yourself, but do you know what that means?
you say nobody cares about you, but do you know what that means?

nobody ever gets the worst of it.

-me

xx Sneha