The world’s on fire. Again. Still. Forever, it seems like, and you’re sitting there scrolling through the ninth circle of social media hell wondering if maybe, just maybe, you should delete everything and go live in a cave somewhere. I get it. Christ, do I get it.
I spent most of the day offline and then come back to see a school shooting and a political figure shot and killed.
Like what the fuck is wrong with people?
I mean is it so hard to be a good human?
Come on. Being a good fucking human isn’t some Herculean task that requires a cape and superpowers. It’s not about grand gestures or viral moments or getting your name in digital lights sprawled across an area where thousands of people walk through every day.
It’s about the small shit. The daily grind of decency.
You know what being a good human looks like?
Not being a dick to the barista who’s clearly having the worst day of their life.
Letting people exist without commentary on their appearance, their choices, their goddamn right to breathe air.
Actually listening when someone talks instead of just waiting for your turn to perform.
The trolls are out there spewing hate like it’s going out of style. They’re scared little creatures hiding behind screens, mistaking cruelty for strength. And yeah, they’re loud. Louder than they deserve to be. But here’s what they don’t want you to know…
You outnumber them.
Every time you choose kindness over cruelty it’s like a tiny little act of rebellion. You’re saying “fuck you” to the machine that profits from our anger, our division, our despair.
Those people chanting encouragement for evil? They’re lost. Genuinely, deeply lost. And while that doesn’t excuse their actions (it absolutely fucking doesn’t), it should remind you that hatred like that comes from a place of profound emptiness. They’re trying to fill a void with other people’s pain, and that’s… that’s just sad, man.
You don’t have to save them. That’s not your job.
Your job is simpler and harder…
Be authentically, unapologetically, courageously yourself. Be kind without being a doormat. Be fierce without being cruel. Be angry at injustice without becoming consumed by rage.
Stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. Call out bullshit when you see it. Vote. Volunteer. Donate. Share resources. Amplify voices that need amplifying.
But also and this is crucial…
Take care of your own mental health. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you can’t fight fascism if you’re having a nervous breakdown.
So be a good fucking human. Not because the world deserves it (though it does), but because you deserve to live in a world where good humans exist.
Be the person you needed when you were struggling. Be the light in someone else’s darkness. Be the reason someone doesn’t give up today.
The fire’s real. The hate’s real. The fear’s real.
But so are you. And you’re stronger than you think.
Now get out there and be magnificent.
R.I.P. to the poor souls lost the last few days. May the ones left behind to pick up the pieces find strength.
Stephen Walker.