humanity

For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.

When You Feel Trapped: The Truth I Wish Someone Had Told Me
There are some situations that don’t look dramatic from the outside. They look steady. They look normal. They look like stability. But inside, they feel like a cage.
By Karen Sanderson2 months ago in Humans
Gifts for the Mourned
Today, I did something that might seem nonsensical to some but felt necessary to me: I bought a Christmas gift for my deceased mother. I was acting on a dream that I had in which I bought a dragon-shaped ring for my mother, even though I knew that she was gone. Although it was just a dream, I felt as though I had to do it in real life, to get a dragon-shaped ring to put on the chain around her urn alongside her engagement and wedding rings. So, I found the perfect Maleficent dragon ring on Zales and bought it immediately. Even though I know that she will never see it, something tells me that my mother would love it.
By Stephanie Hoogstad2 months ago in Humans
The Summoning of the Spirit: Awakening Beyond Ego
Introduction The language of “awakening” has become popular in modern spirituality. It often carries connotations of uniqueness, superiority, or specialness—suggesting that those who awaken are somehow elevated above others. Yet this framing risks reinforcing the very ego structures awakening seeks to dissolve. A deeper understanding reveals awakening not as a badge of distinction but as a summoning: a call from source, from the eternal heart, to return home. This essay explores awakening as summoning, examining the role of ego, the nature of surrender, and the journey of faith, drawing on spiritual traditions, psychology, and lived examples.
By Julie O'Hara - Author, Poet and Spiritual Warrior2 months ago in Humans
Human Enough to Try Again
There are moments when life doesn’t fall apart in a dramatic crash, but in quiet, almost unnoticeable ways. A conversation that ends too soon. A plan that quietly fails. A version of yourself that slips away before you even realize it. For me, the unraveling happened during an ordinary Tuesday in early spring, when the world still smelled faintly of thawing soil and supermarket tulips.
By Luna Vani2 months ago in Humans
Why Highway Stops Feel Harsher
I have taught law-enforcement classes since 1987. In classrooms and ride-alongs, a pattern kept showing up in story after story. Drivers say highway patrol feels brusque, sheriffs’ deputies feel more human, and city police land somewhere in the middle. The truth isn’t personality. It is structure. Change the mission, the boss, and the metric, and you change the roadside script.
By Dr. Mozelle Martin2 months ago in Humans
The Journey From Religion to Spirituality: Reclaiming My Truth
For many, the path to understanding their place in the universe begins within the structured walls of organized religion. We are often born into a particular faith, absorbing its doctrines, rituals, and community as effortlessly as breathing. But what happens when the pre-packaged beliefs start to feel restrictive, the answers insufficient, and the community… less than supportive? For me, the journey from religion to spirituality became a transformative act of reclaiming my truth.
By Wilson Igbasi2 months ago in Humans
Why We Should Be Thankful as Black Greek Members
Every Thanksgiving season gives us a chance to slow down and really pay attention. For many of us in Black Greek Letter Organizations, that pause hits a little different. We are not just thankful for food, family, and time off. We are also grateful for colors, calls, and a legacy that reaches across generations.
By Lyman Montgomery2 months ago in Humans
The Sunk Cost Trap: Are You Willing to Buy Back Your Freedom?
The Past is a Sunk Cost; The Future is a Controllable Asset. The older generation often imparts this wisdom: "If you board the wrong train, you should get off at the nearest station. The later you disembark, the higher the cost of the return journey."
By Emily Chan - Life and love sharing2 months ago in Humans
The Bridge of Notes
In the heart of a small, historic town, two neighborhoods lay on opposite sides of a narrow, old stone bridge. For decades, the residents had avoided one another. A small disagreement over a property line had escalated into years of cold silences, gossip, and mistrust. The bridge, once built to connect, had become a silent divider. People crossed it only for errands, hurrying across without a word, their eyes fixed straight ahead.
By M.Farooq2 months ago in Humans
The Lantern on Maple Street
Maple Street had always been quiet, but not peaceful. Houses stood shoulder to shoulder, but the walls between neighbors felt thicker than bricks. Rumors, misunderstandings, and long-standing grudges had built invisible barriers over the years. Mailboxes were barely checked, children played mostly indoors, and families avoided eye contact whenever they passed each other. Even the streetlights seemed to flicker uneasily, casting shadows that mirrored the tension in the air.
By M.Farooq2 months ago in Humans
The Music of Silence
In a narrow, crowded street of a bustling city, tension was as common as dust in the air. Families argued, neighbors shouted over minor disturbances, and children rarely played outside. Windows rattled with complaints, and even the birds seemed wary of the loud, restless environment.
By M.Farooq2 months ago in Humans
Whispers of the River
The town was divided by a wide, winding river. On the north side were narrow streets, crowded markets, and houses that leaned on each other for support. On the south side, wider roads, flowered balconies, and quiet courtyards stretched along the water. Though the river divided the town physically, it also carried decades of silent rivalry. Rumors, minor disputes, and prejudices had built walls between the two communities.
By M.Farooq2 months ago in Humans