In reflection:

It is one of life’s many paradoxes. One in which we seek empathy from others yet do not practice it ourselves. Where we consider apathy an appropriate reaction to those who seek empathy from us— perhaps to hold on to a fleeting sense of subconscious superiority in the face of content that begs for our attention and approval.

Consequently, we are subjected to a rubric that quantifies our social influence by the number of people we were able to arouse out of apathy, a feat marked by ‘views’ and ‘likes’. In response, such criticisms of social media platforms have risen at a scary rate, quickly adopting ideas of self-love and appreciation, almost to a dangerously extreme ideology that imbalances the weight of individual and social opinion, but this is a discussion for another time.

The point is, however superficial this social rubric may be, I do not find myself complaining about its nature. In hindsight, I am thankful for it. It is from its blank background that I notice others who are aware of the phenomenon themselves— those who have found themselves outside the conventional frames. Those who, I believe, have a greater desire to be heard than to be liked. These are the people today who I find to be most encouraging of each other in their own, respective journey. How ironic is it that the most empathetic people happen to be those who are paving a path for themselves? In the end, I am grateful to have found these people in my life, especially at a time in which we are most malleable. I am unashamed to say that I am excited for your life as much as I am for my own.

Thank you.