We live in a pretty messed up world. You can't go any where without hearing of the terrible and distructive things we've done to ourselves and others. It's all just one big screwed up mess.
Last night I watched home videos with my family. We watched one that was taken of me minutes after I was born. It was kinda hard to believe that wrinkly blob of crying flesh was myself; so new and fresh and innocent, so different from who I am today. As we watched videos from easter when my cousin wasn't in jail and my aunt and uncle weren't divorced, I felt happy and sad and a little confused. I watched my sister when she was three and so full of energy and joy.
Watching that giggling baby on the TV screen was almost eye opening. After all, weren't we all smiling babies at one point in our lives? Haven't we all felt pain and hope and sometimes love? Aren't we all just people. We let the petty differences cloud our minds and before long we're not just people. We're enemies. We ask ourselves how we could ever understand the thoughts of a person across an ocean, and maybe it's because we don't even try to listen. It's hard to make this connection. Somtimes the people at my own school seem so different from myself that it's hard for me to realize that we're practically the same. We are human and It may take an alien invasion from outerspace or a simple handshake for us to realize this, but until we do nothing will ever change.
Babies are great. They don't let race or religion or traditions get in the way of smiling at someone. I used to wonder why anyone would want to bring a child into this screwed up world we live in. Now I believe it's to make this screwed up world a little better.