With the latest school shooting in Santa Fe and the ramping up of the gun debate again, I was going to write a piece on how, despite our society’s exaltation of individualism and self-expression, we’ve become unconscionably numb to the true value of life.

But instead of writing paragraph after paragraph on this topic, I’m going to give you a task. I would like to call it a commandment or a demand, but I’ve never been one for trying to run a dictatorship… so instead I’m going to ask you to do the following:

Go out into the world tomorrow and find someone to talk to. Ask them how they’re doing. Ask for the truth, not the small-talk niceties of “I’m fine” or “I’m okay.” And then listen to them. Quiet your mind and focus on them. Don’t allow your inner monologue to interject with opinions or self-inserts or anything else that would distract you from this other person’s story. Just listen. And then, when they’re done talking, let them know that they’ve been heard and that their voice matters.

Hezzie