What you are to me

One of the most memorable quotes I have ever read was "Some people are simply pieces of shit." For a while this became my personal quote, especially when I was having problems with, well, everyone. My mother didn't agree. She said, "God doesn't make shit." I argued, "If he doesn't, they do it to themselves." I don't believe this anymore. No person is worth any less than the world. When I look into a person's eyes, any person, I see a creation of phenomenal worth. When you walk through a crowd, each annoying body that slows your day further, there is probably someone else, somewhere, who would die for them. Granted, I don't always treat people like they are worth everything. But opening your eyes and seeing the value of a human being--a living, feeling person--is the first step toward treating them that way. What about a bad person? Are they worth as much? Yes, they are. They are probably considered bad because they treat their fellow humans like worthless shit. They may have a high opinion of themselves and their abilities. But their worth? As far as worth goes, people tend to see themselves as worth less than others, whether they know it or not. Therefore, if someone sees his fellow humans as shit, how does he see himself? Humans being inherently equal, therefore have the same value.
We humans live with our own selves every second of our lives, but we do not fully know ourselves. And yet we insist on defining other people with one, maybe two words. "Jerk." "Slut." "Piece of shit." In any given person, there are unfathomable depths. There's so much that you simply don't know. But yet if you look into their eyes, you will see the value of a human life.
The next time you speak with someone, preferably someone you hate, make eye contact and remember how their face looked, especially their eyes. Were they joyful? Tormented? Blank? Could you read their thoughts, their life in that one minute or second? What did you see? I hope you saw more than a piece of shit.