GLOBAL ACTION FOR KINDNESS & EMPATHY [IYD]

I’m lying down in my dark space, it’s past 2am and I’m thinking about so many things at the top of my head which revolves around one word JOURNEY.

I can tell you about an old German friend that was so tough on me because life was tough on her. Her mum never wanted her and made it no secret to her so she pretty much had to fight through life to earn everything she got.

I can tell you of the girl that went through emotional turmoils with her mum but I can’t tell you I could see through her tears. I can’t tell you how she’s grown now and if she understands the dilemma of caring for her mum who she doesn’t feel “surfacely” emotionally attached to because she still struggles with the pain from time past and may never get over it.

I can tell you the story of the guy that lost the love of his life and his unborn baby but I can’t tell you how he’s going mad, how he’ll never hear her voice again, how he’ll think it’s a dream, how he’ll stretch his hands on the bed and feel that empty space. I can’t tell you his inner frustrations, I can’t claim to understand his rage.

I can tell you all these stories but what happens to the journey, the pain, the tears, the frustration, the solemn nights, the tired days, THE PROCESS. That’s the part that’s never seen.

No matter how hard we try, I’ve come to the conclusion that we never will be able to process people’s journeys. No matter how similar or familiar they may look. We may never be able to interpret it and one thing just stands out as a result. In our journey, is rooted our deepest strength. The strength to bear witness to ourselves and still survive life.

And so it’s International Youth Day, themed “Youth Engagement for global action”. A global action for kindness and empathy because now more than ever, it’s time we started engaging each other’s emotions better. A friend of mine put it this way that you’re only as sane as your mental health and we need to start paying attention to that.