It's Okay To Be Human

It's okay to be human.

We grow in a world that puts a heavy burden on our back. A ton of unrealistic expectations, from people that are unable to meet theirs in the first place, define our existence--one in which we continuously judge, criticize and beat ourselves down for not being able to live up to them.

Not realizing the impact of such an unhealthy way of living, we project our judgmental ways back onto the world. We continuously compare ourselves with others. When we find a way to think that we're better than others, we feel good about ourselves. When we can't find one, we feel diminished and insecure.

This is no way to live. And we can't positively contribute to the world's wellbeing without forgiving ourselves first, without accepting ourselves as we are, and without embracing the fact that loving our imperfection makes us perfect.

It's okay to be human.

It's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to be vulnerable. What we've done in the past can't, and will never define us, as long as we keep moving forward. When we see our actions and everything we've been through, as a building block to who we are now, we can only be grateful for it--for the people we've encountered on the way, for the events that happened--which all made us, us.

Every step along the way, everyone we met and everything that happened is a precious teacher that made us better, wiser, more compassionate, more loving.

The world is filled with people who read spiritual and religious books most of their lives, people who wear robes and speak about God's messages, people who act superior because they know "more." The truth is, those same people are the ones that abuse weaker ones, they're the same people that act based on insecurities, the same people that lie in their public lives and unleash their demons when the world doesn't look at them.

It doesn't matter what we consider ourselves to be, as long as we're human beings on this beautiful planet, we are responsible for ourselves, how we live, how we treat others, what we say. Whether we're a "spiritual" person or not, whether we're vegan or not, whether we're of a different color or not--how we live and how our living affects the world around us is entirely up to us. We are responsible for it.

And once we realize this, once our words turn into action, once we fully embody everything we've learned about ourselves and the world--we can't help it but put ourselves at others' service.

It's an unfortunate fact of the "modern" world that most people need an incentive to do something good without expecting much in return. We need money or recognition, we need to gain in one way or another, or we don't budge. I want you to try to give of yourself to someone who needs assistance. It doesn't have to be money; give some food, or some time, even a smile. And see how it makes you feel. If you keep practicing small acts of kindness on a daily basis, you'll realize that you're like a "finger helping another finger of the same hand." And it won't be theoretical, you'll live it, you'll feel it to your soul.

To live with an open heart, and with a clear mind, to see that we're imperfectly perfect and embrace ourselves as we are. And to embody this truth, to serve life in whatever way we can--this ends discrimination once and for all. There is no need to prove something to someone, there is no need to act like somebody we're not, there is no need for any incentive--once we accept ourselves as we are, we stop discriminating. Be who you are, allow yourself to be as you are, and in doing that, everything falls back into order. We become a force of change, one in which others find a refuge.