This I Believe: Only Human

Every year at ESK, eighth grade students share their “This I Believe” essays with their fellow classmates during Chapel. Students are tasked with sharing a life lesson they have learned with the student body. According to the “This I Believe” organization website, students are encouraged to “start by telling a compelling story about how you came to hold an important personal belief—something that guides your daily living.” The talks are based on the “This I Believe” radio show hosted by Edward R. Murrow more than 50 years ago. Students all over the country – and the world – participate in the “This I Believe” project each year. ESK will feature several of these essays beginning today with eighth grade Ashton Mayo-Beavers and her essay titled “Only Human.”

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An anonymous person once said “God created our skin tones with beautiful variety, but all of our souls are the same color.” But what does it mean to be the same?

I grew up in a small church that celebrated diversity of all people brought together in their oneness or development  with God. As time went by, I witnessed  people come to the church. Some left and some stayed. They all came from different walks of life: poor,wealthy, black, white, Asian, Native American, Democrat, Republican.  Others were weak or  strong; there were those that were homeless, those living in  adequate housing, the uneducated, and those with multiple degrees.  But together, these people made up a church family with one objective: to live out the mission of the church and invite everyone to “God’s table” or to our church. After each service, we have refreshments . Frequently men,women and children from different backgrounds would come to the church, not to attend the service but looking for a meal. Each was welcomed, fulfilling our mission statement. We all, even with our differences, could be one community.

Outside of the church, even though I saw the harmony of different people as one body, I questioned why I wasn’t the same as everyone else. Why did we look different? Why was I made different? I went through the first five years of school comparing myself to others. Almost every year in elementary school  I had problems with my  differences from my peers. One time in second grade a girl assumed she couldn’t get along with me because of my race. I had been through several similar situations before this. The two times before I was very young, and each time I was very broken and taken back by the things done or said. By the time this dilemma had happened I was more upset that I wasn’t seen because of the color of my skin.

After this problem and all others, my questions and thoughts about how different I was began to fade. Because of those setbacks I was able to see beyond people’s mistakes, personality, and looks and see a person who is actually scared or lost and may need some support in this world just like I do. It wasn’t until middle school that I realized I’m not as different from everyone as I thought. I was made with  two arms, two legs, two ears,one mouth and the same color soul like everyone else. Everyone in this room and all over the world is under the same category, human.  We are different kinds of humans though, but aren’t we still humans.

My whole life as I look back,  learning this has been a huge part of my growth.If we can look past our fronts and walls, we will be able to see that we are only human. If the whole world kept that in their hearts I believe many smaller disputes and fights would be controlled and  larger fights might be put in perspective. Each person in this world has different beliefs, backgrounds, and looks, but we all are beings that live on earth in this  universe created by the hands of God. Here we are all beings that go to the Episcopal School of Knoxville. We are still learning about the world, and we are still growing. I like to imagine the whole world is one big tree and each of us is a small twig connected to the  tree. Each twig is different, some lighter than others, or more colorful. Some that are skinny or bigger. They all grow into different directions at different times, like we  humans do. But in the end each twig is still connected and rooted into the same tree.

When it comes down to it, underneath our skin and feelings we are all the same, no matter what the outward appearance is. As I go into a new school in Chattanooga and the eighth graders go to into high school, we will most like know nobody. I  might  try to fit in and change myself to find friends because I think I am not the same or totally different, but that’s wrong. I am only human like everyone else in that school. Even in twenty years I will still use this understanding in everyday life.  When I make assumptions about people, I will remember that they are people just like me. Don’t put people in categories that define them as anything other than human. Remember we are not a Caucasian race, not  an African American race, or an Asian race. We are a human race. Before our labels we are human, so embrace diversity because our heart sees no race since we are human. So let me ask the question again: what does it mean to be the same? To me we are different,and that’s what makes us the same. This I believe.