Savolainen: World needs more loving
Kelsey Savolainen
Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: Opinion
What the world needs now is love sweet love. Barry Manilow said it best almost half a century ago, and it still rings true today.
I can't count how many times in my life I have seen someone being judged, injured, or persecuted for the most innocent crime of being the person they are. I feel as though everyone has experienced this discrimination at some point in his or her life and I think in order to change this behavior, we need to start on the home front.
It may be a hard concept to wrap your head around, and an easy concept to forget, but everyone is equal in this world. We all have a heart that beats, we all experience the same emotions, we all live on the same plane of existence. Think of how much we can accomplish if we put away the microscope of judgment and start to accept people for who they are.
I'm not requesting that everyone start to like each other, hold hands and sing Kumbaya. I'm requesting that each and every single person who reads this article try their best to care, to care a little more about the people around them rather than just cruise through life in their own little bubble.
Think about all the benefits this concept can lead to. World leaders could start to hang out and like each other rather than plot assassinations. There would be no need for war if we were all able to accept each other no matter what our beliefs, heritage or sexuality may be. Genocide would go out the window, terrorism would become nonexistent and hate crimes would never again be something to make us scared of being alive.
I know from personal experience that it can be hard to care about someone, or even a group of people, due to events that have occurred in the past. However, it is not right to make an individual suffer for another's doing. We cannot atone for the sins of our fathers. I don't understand why people still act in this manner.
I know that forgiveness can be the hardest thing to do for many people. Everyone has old wounds that still ache from one wrongdoing or another. But that pain can be released when you let all of that anger and sadness go.
It can be a strange sensation to let go of the negative in your life, it is as if a huge weight has been lifted off of your shoulders and you find yourself able to move on with your life rather than be stuck in the past.
By breaking down the barriers, we open ourselves up to new opportunities, new experiences, new friendships, things that would never be accomplished if it were not for the individuals involved being able to overcome their personal biases.
In finding this peace we can find love and that is what we all need a little more of in this world: love, sweet love.
I can't count how many times in my life I have seen someone being judged, injured, or persecuted for the most innocent crime of being the person they are. I feel as though everyone has experienced this discrimination at some point in his or her life and I think in order to change this behavior, we need to start on the home front.
It may be a hard concept to wrap your head around, and an easy concept to forget, but everyone is equal in this world. We all have a heart that beats, we all experience the same emotions, we all live on the same plane of existence. Think of how much we can accomplish if we put away the microscope of judgment and start to accept people for who they are.
I'm not requesting that everyone start to like each other, hold hands and sing Kumbaya. I'm requesting that each and every single person who reads this article try their best to care, to care a little more about the people around them rather than just cruise through life in their own little bubble.
Think about all the benefits this concept can lead to. World leaders could start to hang out and like each other rather than plot assassinations. There would be no need for war if we were all able to accept each other no matter what our beliefs, heritage or sexuality may be. Genocide would go out the window, terrorism would become nonexistent and hate crimes would never again be something to make us scared of being alive.
I know from personal experience that it can be hard to care about someone, or even a group of people, due to events that have occurred in the past. However, it is not right to make an individual suffer for another's doing. We cannot atone for the sins of our fathers. I don't understand why people still act in this manner.
I know that forgiveness can be the hardest thing to do for many people. Everyone has old wounds that still ache from one wrongdoing or another. But that pain can be released when you let all of that anger and sadness go.
It can be a strange sensation to let go of the negative in your life, it is as if a huge weight has been lifted off of your shoulders and you find yourself able to move on with your life rather than be stuck in the past.
By breaking down the barriers, we open ourselves up to new opportunities, new experiences, new friendships, things that would never be accomplished if it were not for the individuals involved being able to overcome their personal biases.
In finding this peace we can find love and that is what we all need a little more of in this world: love, sweet love.
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