Amale Bouzlafa

“We think we know what’s going on with other people, but we don’t. Everyone’s fighting a battle you can’t see.”

This is for all the people who judge based on the limited perspective created by their assumptions. For those who only see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. For the ones who never try to see beyond the visible because they’re scared of the reflection of their own shadow. And for those who close their minds and hearts to anything that is different or that challenges their view of the world. Finally, this is to open the eyes of those who want to see the world differently, to see beyond their perceptions, and to wear a different set of glasses. To see people for more than what they seem, and to see the world as a unit instead of a division.

Have you ever thought you knew someone, only to realize that you really don’t know them at all? Because you’ve known them ‘for so long!’ and because they know ‘everything about you!’ It’s the long-time neighbor, the childhood best friend, the colleague of ten years, the sibling with whom you spend hours talking, the one ‘you tell everything!’ or the cousin or aunt who watched you grow. But think about it, how much do they really know? Do they know how hurt you felt when they made that joke? Or how unsupported you felt when they laughed about your big project? Or when they failed to follow through on that promise they made five years ago? Or when they told you to just ‘get over’ that relationship you invested so much time and energy in?

Now let’s switch back to them. How much do you know? Do you know about their silent conversations with God when nothing seems to work? Or their discussions late at night with themselves? Or do you know they cry silently at night when nobody’s watching, thinking about the way things have turned out? Or how it makes them feel very sad to see you getting old and tired? Or do you know about these fears they have not being able to handle it, or to provide enough, or to be present enough, or to be strong enough? Do you really know what’s hidden behind this smile?

A smile can hide a lot. You never know what’s really behind it. They say the ones who are always smiling are the strongest. I would add that they’re also the brightest, and by shining their light, they show others that they also have a light. My aunt once told me that when someone is surrounded by darkness, they are blinded in a way. So any kind of light that they can see becomes a source of hope.

I made a subconscious commitment years ago to always see the good in people, to always have hope for the ones who hurt others unconsciously by the way they behave, the way they act, or the words they say. Whether you believe in it or not, hope is an energy, and its virtue is that it can heal even the most wounded. Hope brings love, it brings light, and light brings healing. I’m not sure how, but I do see the light in everyone I meet: those who are smiling, kind, and loving, and those who are hurt and angry, fearful and hurtful. And maybe you see it too?

In our essence, we are love, we are light. And on the other side of this love and light, there is darkness and fear. Most people are afraid, and many actions they take are based on fear. And when your actions are guided by fear, you lose control of who you truly are. How can you act in accordance with who you really are when any move you make is in reaction to your fear? You are not your fear, you are LIGHT! But you don’t even see it because you let the darkness take over this light you have, and you let yourself be blinded by fears, by darkness. But that light never went away though; it’s always there within us, just waiting to come out. So let’s start seeing this light in ourselves and others because that is what we are and this is what brings healing… We’re all similar in this way, we just have to see it.

So this is a reminder today to always see behind the mask and to learn to know people for more than what they seem. To remind ourselves that we are light, like everybody is. To see beyond our pain, and our wounds, and to see the healing light within us and others. But it’s also a reminder to be kind, always, because you don’t know how much the light of a simple smile can change someone’s mind or how a little “hello” can bring sparks of light in someone’s darkest hours.

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
~ Brad Meltzer

Trusting it will bring some light to someone’s shadow,
Amale 💫💙