Journeying through the Human Experience

My first experience away from home was a rough one. A Burlington suburbs boy, I had no idea what to expect in the big city of Ottawa with a much more diverse culture and population. At the age of 17, it was hard to adjust and find my footing. Even though I had trouble settling, meeting so many different people and uncovering so many different beliefs really changed my perspective on the world. For the first time I experienced hate. I experienced prejudice. I experienced diversity. Whether it was listening to the Palestinian girl who told the tragedy of how her brother and father died at the hands of the Israeli army or the Métis native speaking of the horror of being raped in a residential school or the homosexual lawyer whose father made him attend a Gay Conversion camp; it was all an overwhelming and reality crushing experience. How could anyone return to the world of American Idol and Halo 2 and In Touch magazine, when this was the real world for so many millions of people? Furthermore, should I feel a sense of responsibility for these cancers of human creation?
The tragic tales of human experience absorbed my life. I wanted to consume every story of every person that had ever been wronged. Seeing the underbelly for the first time made me want to see all of it more than anything. How could I not? I felt betrayed. I felt let down by the people I thought were the guardians of this evil. It was from here though that I was able to realize the truest state of my humanity. I realized that we are not cogs in the machine walking our own separate path; all of our paths are connected and we experience everything together. Your pain is our pain. Your love is our love. Every emotion one of us has felt, someone else has as well. My travel came through riding along in these stories of journey, discovery and perseverance. Stories of love and loss.
I found that through opening up to the people around me, sharing stories and laughs, was the best way to travel that human experience. Finding out about the most outrageous thing my mom has ever done. Asking my grandfather about being a part of the Croatian army. Talking to a close friend about his life in prison and being part of a gang. I was able to see the beauty of our species as a whole. These moments aren't fleeting like some people might say. They’re ours for the taking whenever we please. When we open our heart to the world, it will open up back.