Perspective

So, maybe I am not being as deep as I think I'm being, but... Recently I've been thinking a lot about perspective.

I have been thinking about the way people treat other people just because they are different. For example, the way that adults treat kids, or the way "normal" people treat people with mental illnesses, or even physical illnesses.

First let's talk about how adults treat kids. Well, most adults.

A lot of adults treat kids like they are less than adults. And maybe it is true, kids do have a lot less experience than adults. But adults think that to be "childish" is a bad thing! Why? Why is being an adult any better? I see them as just different stages of your life, and there is no reason we shouldn't respect another person just because they aren't in the same stage of life as we are.

I respect little kids. You know why? Because they are so simple. So maybe they cry easily, but they also forgive easily. So maybe they have less experience, but that doesn't mean they aren't smart. Actually, they are in that learning stage, where they soak everything they hear in like a sponge. This makes them very fun to talk to.

They haven't been exposed to very much of the darkness of this world, which most people would consider to be naive, but why? Why is that such a bad thing? It only makes them have less cares. Why is having less cares and knowing less considered less worthy? It only makes them happier, and isn't that what most adults are trying to be, anyways? I think we could learn a lot from kids. Just as much as they learn from us.

Also, people with mental illnesses. "Normal" people think it is weird when people with mental illnesses slap themselves all over, or stare for long periods of time at the ceiling. But to them, it makes complete sense. They slap themselves to get rid of the bugs they feel are crawling all over their skin. Wouldn't you do the same? They look at the ceiling because why not?

Sometimes we treat people with physical illnesses the same way we treat people with mental ilnesses, even though their brains are completely the same as ours. Just because they look funny, doesn't mean they don't have the same kinds of emotions we do. 

I hope this made some sense to you, and that next time you see someone different from you, realize that you are not quite "normal" either. Everybody is different from everybody, and that is what connects us all, in a way.

Thanks for listening!

-Zoe