all you need is love.

today as i was stopped at a red light, i saw a man at the side of the road. he was white, probably 40 to 50 years old, clean shaven, and was wearing a white t-shirt, faded jeans, and a baseball cap. he was holding a sign that read, "father of two, out of work, selling water." there was a huge cooler a few feet from him and he was pacing the side of the road holding a water bottle searching for a friendly face. i could tell he'd been out there for hours and hadn't had much luck.

i looked away. i forced myself to keep looking directly ahead as the tears started to well up in my eyes. the faces of his two young children stared into my soul. i don't think i've ever hated myself more than i did the moment i drove away, staring straight ahead as if i had never seen him.

what is it that made me look away? the idea that i'm not supposed to talk to strangers or they'll rape me? or the idea that people holding signs asking for money are only going to use it to buy drugs? i knew when i looked at him that neither was the case, yet i still turned away.

i could almost feel God looking down on me and thinking, "shame on you." aren't we all here to help each other? why can't we all trust, love, and care for each other? i want that world so badly. but it can only happen if i put in the effort to try and make it a reality.