Give The Gift of Love and Hope

If it's two things that I believe this world needs more of it's love and hope. In this day and age, society tends to overlook important issues that go on such as abuse, depression, homelessness, eating disorders, suicide, etc. Instead, society puts labels on these issues, treating them as if they are a disease. Because of this, many people are blinded to the truth about the important things in life. They carry on with their every day lives, oblivious to what is really going on in the world around them. If they are not oblivious, then some just don't seem to care as long as they aren't the ones going through it. People take their lives too much for granted. Instead of looking around to see who needs help and reaching out a hand to those in need, they stay in their comfort zone, not daring to venture out away from the familiar things they know in life. So anything that is different to them or anything that they don't know or understand, they shy away from.

It's amazing how many people are going through tough times but don't show it. People we pass by on the streets, people we see in the store, neighbors we have, customers we wait on, co-workers we're around each day, close friends, even family members and relatives we have sometimes hide what they are going through. For those of us who have always managed to survive on our own and haven't ever had anyone there to lend us a hand, the only way of life we know is doing everything alone. We've had to conquer our fears on our own and we've had to remain strong for ourselves, pushing ourselves to keep moving on in life. Some of us have only known the feelings of rejection and neglection, living the life of an outcast. Some of us have struggled with our self esteems because of brainwashing and mean things said to us. Others have found themselves in a dark place, losing all hope and faith in life. Still others have had to survive out on the streets, living day to day, just trying to get by. Some of us have tried to cover our emotional pain by inflicting physical pain on ourselves. Some of us have tried to drown our sorrows in drinking. There are various ways in which we have attempted to cover the pain that we felt inside, trying to forget what happened to us.

We're not the only ones who go through these things though. Take a look around you and you'll see that there are so many wandering souls out there whose hearts are crying out for help. Just like us, they are trying to find a way back home but since everyone passes them by without stopping to help, they find themselves feeling lost and alone. They wander through life asking if there's anyone out there who even cares about what they go through. If only we would look closely, we would see in their eyes the pain and sorrow that they hide for the eyes are the mirror to the soul. Yet, people go their own way, living their comfortable lifestyles, and never once do they think about what others around them are facing. Then there are those who do ask for help and no one does anything about it. Oh sure, they offer their condolences and sympathies, but they don't do anything to help relieve the person's pain or help them to get to a place in life where they can finally have the stability they are looking for.

I've been through those tough times in my own life where I had to fight to survive on my own. I've been that one who asked for help but no one heard my heart's cries. I've been the one drinking my life away in hopes of drowning my sorrows out. I've been the one to inflict physical pain on myself to rid myself of the emotional pain. I have hit rock bottom in my life, not seeing a way out, trying to find the light again. Always moving, I had no place in which I could call home. The only person I could depend on to get by in life was me. Friends and family betrayed me and walked out on me, leaving me to emotionally die. So many times I wondered where my life was taking me and wondered what I would do to get myself out of the tough situations I found myself in. All by myself, I battled my depression and I fought to take back control of my life. From the time my family completely fell apart when I was younger, I learned to survive on my own and find ways around the sticky situations I was in. Time and time again, I did what I had to in order to get to a somewhat better place in my life. Let me tell you, when you don't have others there for you when you're going through all this, it makes you feel so lost and empty inside. When you have people constantly pushing you down rather than pulling you up, you start thinking that you aren't good enough and that you aren't worth anything to anyone.

The problem is that when we go to tell our stories, people don't want to hear the whole message. What do they do? They focus on one part of what we say, pick out that certain part of our story as they choose to fixate on just one area, and they then proceed to judge us, analyze us and tell us what we should do with our lives or how we should live. Do they ever offer to help us out in our situations? No, they just put in their two cents and then go their own merry way, not looking back. My question is this, if people claim they want to help others and make a difference in this world, then why do they not help those who are coming to them and why do they just ignore the needs of those around them? That behavior will never start a positive change in this world. That will only lead to people wanting to just give up all together because they'll start thinking there really isn't anyone out there to help them. What this world needs is compassionate people who are not just sitting there talking but actually getting out there and doing something to make a difference and save lives that are lost, trapped, and alone.

People don't want to always hear how strong they are or how they will pull through a hard time. I think that they all ready know they are strong since they have all ready made it this far. What they are looking for is someone to listen, to be there for them. Someone who is willing to help them and who cares about what they are going through. Even those who seem to be strong in life need help. There is nothing wrong with needing help, but there is something wrong when people are so selfish and greedy that they leave others to struggle alone and face challenges on their own. You can sit there and tell a person that they are strong and all that, but when they are feeling down and depressed, that's the last thing that is going to help them get through. When I've needed help before, when I have been so depressed that I honestly wanted to just give up on everything in life, hearing that I was strong didn't help me one bit. What it did was get me more frustrated and stressed because here I was calling out for help and no one was there for me. I found myself withdrawing from everyone and not talking about my feelings because I knew that the only thing I would hear is "oh you're strong, you'll make it, you'll figure something out, it's going to take time." Time is something that we don't have, though.

Look around you. Notice all the homes ravaged by violence, the divorces that tear families apart, the abuse that shatters innocent lives, the eating disorders people go through because society puts pressure on people and the way they look, the ones who are living on the streets and fighting to survive because they have no place to go, the ones that end their lives because they don't see the point in going on when there's no one out there who cares, and I could go on. The point is that life is not all glamorous. Now I know that people will sit there and say oh I would help out but I just don't have much to give or I need all I can get, too. You know what, we all need to be helping each other out. You don't have to give money to help save a life. It doesn't matter how little you have to give, every bit helps. People just want to take, take and take. Why not start giving back? You know what it's like to go through life alone and not have anyone there. Do you really want to see others struggle like that too? Don't you want better for someone else, because I know that I do. In any way that I can help and it doesn't matter if I have hardly anything to my name, I'm going to do all i can to help make a difference.

We need to start venturing out of our comfort zones and go above and beyond, doing what we can to help those in need. You want to make a change, then step outside of the comfort zone and step into reality. Reality will open your eyes to so many things. Society loves to sugarcoat things so people don't see the struggles going on everyday. They want people to believe that everything is all right when in fact, everything is not all right. I admire and respect those who are getting out there doing what they can to spread awareness and reach out to others. Don't think that you have to be famous, either to make a difference. Anyone can make a difference in life. It takes someone who has a desire to help though. It takes someone who is willing to stand for the truth and not keep silent about the things that are important. It takes someone who is not afraid to step up and do what they can to relieve the suffering and pain going on around them. It takes courage, determination, perseverance, and strength. It takes someone who says, "I've had enough of this" and gets out there to fight to make the world a better place.

How many more lives will be forced to suffer, how many more lives will be shattered apart, how many more lives will be torn apart before we do something to help out? I don't know about you, but I want to be one of those warriors on life's battlefield that fights for others and is there for others. Yes, it does take self sacrifice to make this world a better place. It takes understanding, it takes patience, it takes listening, it takes reaching out a hand, it takes so much to save lives. However, we all have it in us to save a life. We all have it in us to be a positive change. We all have it in us to get out there and help out. Don't let others go through what we have gone through in our own lives. We have a chance to lead and to pave a way for the next generation to come. So let's give people the best gift that we can possibly give anyone, the gift of love and hope.