For as long as I can remember, I have been a routine person. My “wiring” coupled with life circumstances encourages that type of existence.
My younger son is a lot like me in that respect. Everything is nice and neatly planned out in a perfect world. Knowing what is coming next is a salve for my anxiety.
Living in current times, things feel unpredictable, chaotic, and terrifyingly uncertain.
As a highly empathetic and routine person, I feel even more uneasy. Often waking up at night with a pit in my stomach, thinking about the wellbeing of fellow humans.
Living life as part of a minority group, I know the sting of feeling unwanted and even hated. As one example, my mind flashes to a woman screaming at me for parking in an accessible parking space I was rightfully parked in. Hate radiated from her mouth as she tore into me with cruel words. She did not know my truth, but she hated me.
I know there are people in this world who think that the disabled are worthless or lesser than. I have read hateful comments and heard many ignorant, prejudiced remarks.
Knowing there were times, not all that long ago, when disabled people were hidden from society instills a fear in me that the times will swing back to that way of thinking.
That tone of cruelty is on full display these days in other examples.
My existence needs compassion to thrive. I need others who can attempt to understand that my needs may differ from their own, but they are just needs. Not extras.
Dehumanizing others based on how they were created is cruel. It is unacceptable. Its lasting effects are grossly underestimated.
Why some people feel superior to others, I will never understand. We all have hardships and strengths. Unique in our own ways.
Hate rots our souls. Kindness provides the nourishment our souls need to live in harmony with one another. Learning about lives that differ from our own is kindness in motion.
I have never known a life other than one where I am consistently aware of negative thoughts about my existence. Where barriers exist at every turn.
But some of my most horrible and hateful experiences have also generated some of the most beautiful and compassionate interactions. Often those two extremes happening within minutes of each other.
While what I have seen happening in our world, is horrific and sickening, I cannot help but notice something else. In many, including myself, I have noticed a growing compassion and a desire to unite and learn, in response to the increasing devastation among humanity.
Now is the time to sharpen our compassion skills. This is the time when we can make a difference in bettering the lives of others. There are countless ways we can promote inclusivity here in our time on earth. What way of service speaks to you?
Take action in your unique way using your strengths and expandable knowledge. Taking time to listen and learn about others lived experiences is critical to inclusivity.
It is in these unfamiliar times outside of our comfort zone and routine, where our character is refined. We should examine and recognize our unchecked biases.
When you come to the end of your life, will you be able to look back on it and say that you are proud of the person you were and how your treated others? I hope I can. That is what I plan to continue working towards.
Until next time …
Amy Shinneman is a former National Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, disability blogger, freelance writer, wife, and mom of two boys. She is the recipient of the Reporter’s Winter 2025 Ink-Stained Wretch award. You can find her blog at humblycourageous.com and reach her on Instagram @ashinneman.