Two years ago

This is how I would’ve seen my classmates:

Troublemakers,

Perfectionists,

Geniuses,

Slackers,

My best friends,

And everyone else.

 

Now

This is how I see them:

Strong,

Beautiful,

Brave,

Kind,

Full of light,

Cracked but not broken,

Pushed but not brought down.

 

What I learned junior year is to show compassion towards others

Because every single person has a story

We don’t know what they’re going through

The surface is just that— a shallow reflection of what’s underneath

And sometimes what we see isn’t the truth.

 

Everybody hurts

And they are fighting a demon

It goes by the name of

Abuse

Depression

Hate

Anger

Fear

Apathy.

 

Compassion

Without it, the world would remain dark

The light and the good wouldn’t be seen nor brought up

Everyone deserves to be treated with love

Which is why compassion is what I can’t leave behind.