We Are One

We are one. We are one species. We are one planet. We are one family.
So I DON'T understand why we can't all just get along! There are no differences so great that prevent us from being at least civil, even if we aren't exactly friends. You can disapprove of the actions and still love the person.
I read or heard somewhere something that struck me. We can only truly hate someone that we know well enough to love, but if we know them that well, then we cannot hate them. Each person's life is their own and while we may know some of the facts, we can NEVER know everything about another person. Things can be forgotten or simply left unsaid and emotions cannot truly be expressed. There are underlying reasons for everything, every word spoken and every action taken.
Forgiveness is better than revenge and love better than hatred. And that can be turned inward as well. Those that hate themselves don't really know themselves. Look in the mirror. When was the last time you looked into those eyes and read the thoughts reflected? When was the last time you saw yourself as the hero of your story? When was the last time that you treated yourself like your favorite character and loved yourself for your faults, your quirks? The way your smile doesn't quite reach your eyes because you've lost things or been mistreated or feel like an island until something happens to strip that sadness away. Then your eyes brighten and people answer your smile with one of their own because it's so good to see you really smile again, like you used to.
Why do you hate yourself when there's so much to love? "All the elements in your body were forged many many millions of years ago in the heart of a faraway star that exploded and died. That explosion scattered those elements across the desolations of deep space. After so, so many millions of years, these elements came together to form new stars and new planets. And on and on it went. The elements came together and burst apart, forming shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings. Until, eventually, they came together to make you. You are unique in the universe." Even genetically, you are unique. For those who are a variation of identical twins and are technically genetically identical, that's just at first. From the moment that egg splits, there are two life paths that will be taken. But ti's not just that. Genetic expression creates those tiny little variations between two people that are oh, so important. They are two distinct people, still completely unique.
Love who you are and your potential too. Please. It's not fair to you to see only the worst in you. But part of loving yourself is recognizing that you need to have people who support you around you. Find something you love and do that. If you love it, don't let anyone tell you differently or tell you that you need to change to fit what THEY want you to be. Be who you are. No apologies. If you like baking and sports, then like baking and sports. If you like to learn, like to learn. Own it and don't let anyone change your mind. Change at your pace in your way on your time because you want to, not because someone else wants you to.
The first step to loving others is to recognize the good in them and those good traits are typically echoed in ourselves. Understand the bad traits, but don't let them become all that that person is.