"Eyes", an article by Anna
A short article on empathy, kindness, and being human.
At first, I wonder why everyone chooses to judge. I wonder why, when I smile at every stranger on a bus, nobody smiles back. There are pairs of blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes, maybe hazel eyes on this bus. I wonder why they are all glued to a screen. I wonder why every pair of eyes gives me a dirty look when my brown eyes look into theirs with pure kindness. I would wonder what everyone else sees when they look into my eyes, but they dont look into them. They look away. People can snap like creatures, burn like fire, scream like monsters. I wonder how many more kind eyes I will look into before they all disappear. I wonder why a small compliment can make someone’s day, yet one word manages to end someone's life. However, everyone underestimates everyone. Everyone has been through something. Every single pair of eyes on the bus have seen life through their own pair of eyes, not anyone else’s. Everyone’s eyes are too quick to judge. The girl at the very back of the bus, you used to know her, her hazel eyes used to be friendly and welcoming. She stabbed you in the back, but little do your brown eyes know, hurt people, hurt people. Your eyes have no idea what could be going on at home, what pain she might be holding onto, what her parents treat her like. She doesn't smile back, but you still smile. The old man next to her, he rolls his bright blue eyes as you smile at him, and they dully skim the large heading of a newspaper. But behind those bright blue eyes could have been a dark grief and misery after his wife passed away, and the long lost relationship with his eldest daughter. And so, you still smile, but he doesn't smile back. You don't know, but maybe, just maybe, that smile made a difference to his day. You don't sit down on the bus, because maybe another pair of eyes are tired, someone else will need it more than you, no matter how many empty seats there are, one seat can change everything. Yet as much as we are on a bus, this isn't just about seats and buses. Because no matter how many people ignore your smile, no matter how many people refuse to accept your help, no matter how many people don't appreciate you, no matter how many times your massive efforts get ignored, no matter how many eyes look away from yours, your eyes will stay the same: full of kindness. And maybe, just maybe, you could help someone without knowing.
“In a world that often becomes overcomplicated, we believe the most meaningful and impactful works are those that distill life down to its essence.”