Society has many flaws that we choose to ignore. Poverty in our backyards, racism that we don't realize we've committed, acts of terrible violence that we choose to overlook. Humans, as a whole, like to see the good in life. We prefer to see the light side, the positive aspect, which leads us to believe we live in a world less plagued by evil than it actually is. While this is an excellent viewpoint to take, it also puts us at an emotional disadvantage that results in our lack of understanding when it comes to horrible, tragic events. Crimes against fellow human beings occur every day that we don't see, but when someone we know or someone famous is a victim, it becomes a different story. Perhaps this is because we can no longer act like the sorrow isn't there when it has manifested itself right in front of our eyes; perhaps this is because we suddenly realize that we can no longer delay the inevitable pain that will enter our lives at some point. As soon as we open ourselves to that pain, that horrible world that we choose to ignore, much more of it comes flooding in. It is as if this world of suffering has been numbed, forgotten, and suddenly, we have misplaced the pain medication, and a deluge of emotions, miseries, and losses come pouring into our lives. This cascade of new ideas and realizations sometimes drives us past the edge; the good no longer outweighs the bad, and we cease to see the pros in life, only staring glumly at the cons. Some of us are born seeing the dark, like a ghost that only they can speak to. Some people will go their whole lives not knowing that ghost; they are the fortunate ones. However, most people will one day realize that there is more evil in their lives than they wish to know.

One might wonder how humans can ignore such blatantly obvious faults in their worlds; the answer is that to hide the scary ones, we seek out the insignificant imperfections. Rather than think about children and women working for nothing and dying young in third-world countries, we focus on the fact that our government is in a larger debt than we can pay off. We complain that it is too hot, that the neighbors are too loud, that we aren't paid enough for the jobs we are given. As a whole, we forget the blessings we have compared to many others; food, a home, a family, friends, a job, no matter how small. If we stopped to appreciate what we have been given, though, this wouldn't be our world, would it? If we considered how lucky we are in our daily lives, we wouldn't have to pretend that the chaos wasn't there; we would have done something to end it already. And without that chaos to be ignored, we wouldn't complain about little things like the service at a restaurant being too slow. Perhaps, just maybe, we might not even judge each other based on status in society. Perhaps we could all be equals. For now, though, there is still that indescribable wall between the poor and the rich, the lucky and the unfortunate, the privileged and the lost. The one way window that we can't see through. For us, it is protection against what we are scared to know; for the others, it is a glance at what they can not have.

See past the wall, see through the window. Look beyond the frivolous worries of daily life; see what is truly there, see who has been suffering while we stay safe, in our homes. If you can see through the wall, you can see the past, the present, the future. What has been, what is now, what always will be, unless we do something to change that. Find the good in people, find the good in yourself, hold on to it tight, and then jump into the sea of sorrows out there. Your happiness, your value, will keep you afloat, and bring others back with you. See beyond.