Suicide is a cowardly and selfish act. Depression is just a big fuss over nothing. Opening up about sexual abuse years later is just spinning a web of lies. Speaking about a chronic illness that's not visible to everyone is being silly. Just being different from everyone else is a crime. The next time you feel like pointing fingers at someone who appears to not have their act together, just pause and try to imagine what life must be like for them.

Imagine what it's like to live each day under dark clouds laden with despair, and not have a clue why you feel that way. What it's like to have sadness and gloom spread over you like the thick hot tar that paves the road. What it's like to want to find a better way to live but not be able to take that first step. Imagine what it's like to wake up feeling miserable and helpless every single day until finally, death seems like the only release. And even then, to be scared as hell to take the plunge. What it's like to choose between a life that seems like an endless hell and an after-life that leads into the unknown.

Imagine what it's like to be a little kid whose personal space has been violated in the most unimaginable and horrific way possible. To not know and understand what is being done to you, that too by someone you trust. Imagine what it's like to have a tender young mind oscillate between feelings of fear, shock, uneasiness, pleasure, and confusion. How do you tell someone what happened to you? How do you explain it and to whom? Imagine what it's like to have your entire childhood snatched from you in one fell swoop. To have pristine innocence replaced by shame and despair. How does a little child cope with self-loathing and doubt? Imagine growing up with those feelings every single day. And then years later, when you finally begin to understand that it was not your fault, you find yourself facing fingers of accusation.

Imagine living each day with a debilitating disease that is not visible to the untrained eye. Dealing with a chronic condition that's not fatal but incurable, and one that has completely altered your life and personality. Imagine spending decades going through various doctors and treatments only to end up feeling worse. Think about what it's like to struggle with the simplest things, things that everyone does with ease, things that you once did with ease. Imagine what it's like to feel robbed of the chance to live.

Everyone else is fighting a battle that you know nothing about. You may be fighting a battle that's familiar only to you. What we all need is just a little compassion. Even if you can't understand someone or make sense of their actions and how they may appear to you, just have a little compassion. You may choose to look the other way and that is fine. But try a little compassion. Everyone keeps saying that life is short but if you really think about it, life is pretty long. And sometimes the long years can make for a rough ride. We're all just trying to make the best of what we have. You may not be able to help someone, but at least don't put them down for things you don't understand. Compassion - that's all it takes.