All human beings are equal, so let’s remember to act like it

Dear Society,

I am a 13-year-old old girl who lives on a small island called Kauai in the State of Hawaii. I have only been in this world for 13 years and a couple of months. That is 0.0065 percent of the time that humans have roamed this planet. Yet, I have been exposed to so much. I have also learned so much, with a lot more education to go. The most important thing that I have learned, or that I will always always have in my brain, is the fact that for over 200,000 years we still do not see all human beings as equal.

We are in fact all the same. We come into this world, we live in this world, then we die. That is the same cycle for every single human on this planet. Yet, we see a dark-skinned African American man as a gun holder and a threat to society. We see a woman wearing hijab as a Muslim terrorist who wants to start a war. We see two men kissing as a flaw in society and we think they’re demons from hell. We see a homeless man asking for a couple bucks or a cup of soup and assume that he is mentally ill and a drug addict. We see a woman who shows a little more skin as the weaker sex and expect that that woman will allow us to do whatever we want. We see a poorly educated girl and think that she is below us for not knowing what the equation y=mx+b is used for.

I am not saying that there isn’t actual violence and crazy people in this world, because there is. I am saying that not every person you meet is who you think they are. They are your equal in one way or another. Because that African American man on the bus whom you assumed was dangerous, is actually a doctor raising two kids. That woman in the coffee shop wearing a hijab is actually in college and just believes in her religion. Those two men kissing in front of the water fountain fought for three years just to get married like every other human who falls in love. That homeless man asking for a couple bucks got left as a child and grew up on the streets. That woman who wears the tight blouses and short shorts is actually a lawyer who doesn’t care what other people think of her. That girl who didn’t finish high school is amazing at playing the piano and can make tons of money if she chooses to.

So no matter how you were raised, or what you believe in, remember that this is the 21st century and that these things need to change. Walk in someone else’s shoes for a change. Imagine what it’s like for a woman to not be able to take off her shirt on a 110 degree day while she watches man after man take off his sweaty shirt and feel the cool breeze.

Imagine how an African American little boy feels at the end of the day as kids with lighter skin call him “brownie” or “nigger” or “mud.” Imagine what it’s like for the Asian-looking man at work who get’s called “Ching ching” everyday as he leaves the building. Imagine how the girl who has a couple extra pounds then most people, feels when you make “fat jokes” to your buddies. Imagine what pain that boy who has holes in his shoes feels when he can’t afford a bus ticket and has to walk four miles every day to get to school and back home again. Imagine what it’s like for a woman to get pinned down and raped and not be able to do anything about it because that man can threaten her life.

Everyone started out the exact same way. We are all humans. It does not matter your skin tone, your religion, your gender, your body, your age. So before you vote for your next president, or make an offensive joke to someone, or silently judge that person who is standing next to you, remember you are the same. Every human being is equal, no matter what.