People are People – for the Your Story Matters campaign

People are people.

This is not always a popular statement. It is often perceived as if I am neutralizing the uniqueness or diversity experience of others. Which kind of makes me sad. Because at the end of day people are people.

People.

We are all humans, created with purpose, gifts, heart and wisdom. We have inside of us from the moment of creation all that we need to be fulfilled, successful, happy. Each of us. We are complete and whole and capable.

And then…. life happens.

Are

You are………. And you are……… And I am……. And you are……. And I am…….

Begin to fill in the blanks.

I am female, sexually abused, married and divorced and married again, deep feeling, short and struggling with weight on my frame, a mom, step-mom kind of and grandma, silly, British television binge watcher, white, European, medial issues, generally optimistic sometimes to a fault and insanely private (enjoy the irony as I share about myself).

You are……. your story, your background, your experiences, your ancestral experiences, your hopes and dreams, your body, your mind and heart, your beliefs, your attitudes, your behaviors, your roles, your environment, your plan, your doubts and insecurities, your confidence and strengths, your mindset, your favorite food, your least favorite room to clean, your music playing in your ears, your activities, your allergies, your shortcomings and high standards, you ARE!

All that we are is shaped from both our birth right and our right to live. We are born complete, resourceful, whole and capable. We are also born with the story that came before and the story that will proceed from there. Plain and simple. Everyone. No two stories are the same from prologue to epilogue. Sometimes we have to have the prequel before we have a sequel. Sometimes we are in the midst of our conflict or maybe we are moving through the resolution (usually before the next conflict). Every story has characters, environment, a plot. Everyone has a story.

Which leads to the second people in people are people.

People

When we start to move past categories, generalizations, assumptions we can begin to see people for who they are. Look around you, right now. Is there anyone in your line of sight? I see four people right now, and two kind of nearby yet out of view. Six people. At this moment they are all female. So, for conversation sake let’s explore the infinite number of possibilities of the 6 females in my immediate vicinity.

Are they; married, mothers, sisters, friends, lonely, struggling, working at home, nationality (from what I see they are all one skin color), tragic loss, wildly successful and fulfilled, abused, volunteer for those less fortunate, going back to school……hang on……. A male just walked in, and now another female (or so I think based on appearance). Now the story possibilities have multiplied. Still some of the same questions, married, kids, work…….

I hope you get my point. I now have eight people around me and in truth I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM. NOTHING!!!!!! (well one of them is a friend and colleague so I might know a few things about her but not the whole story) Think about the amount of people you encounter every day, every day. If you leave the house you easily encounter over 100 people a day, in the store, driving down the road, at work, in the coffee shop, picking kids up from school. Let’s increase that number to beyond 1000 easily. And every one of them has a story, a story completely unique to them. Just like you do.

That is why when I say people are people, I am sad when it is seen as neutralizing. In truth it is a statement of complete and complex diversity, that everyone has a story and everyone’s story is different. When we start to relate to people for who they are, connect with their story and begin to share ours, that is when we experience what it is like to be human.

_________________________________________

Contributor Writer Sarah Weisbarth has been described as rooted in her faith and able to draw inspiration from a rock. As a life coach with Self Love Beauty helping others grow in themselves and connect with others on a deeper level is a natural niche for Sarah. A commitment to providing others with the internal resources they need to be successful in life has Sarah working and serving in programs related to youth and those that promote self-worth and personal value.