The following is an excerpt from a letter written by a woman who recently viewed The Human Experience:
I am writing to tell you I was deeply moved by watching “The Human Experience”. I only just came across your film a couple of weeks ago and upon viewing the trailer, decided it was something important for me to see. Stumbling across your film now could not have been timelier. The steady stream of tears that rolled down my cheeks as I watched your journey was indicative to me that I very much needed to hear your message.
I believe when we speak with our hearts, other hearts respond to our message. You most definitely speak with and from your heart. I was struck by your courage ~ to risk being open and vulnerable about who you are and those things that continued to haunt you. This is a rare gift, as we are often sent the message that it is unsafe to share our truth with others. I was also impressed with your noticeable wisdom and insight ~ you clearly have a “knowing” about the world beyond your years. This was so important for me to see given that many of our youth struggle in today’s society and are treated as though they do not have something important to contribute.
In the spirit of sharing and reciprocity (and to give you some context about why your film had such an impact on me) I want to tell you a bit about my journey. I come from a broken and violent home. I grew up impoverished, surrounded by substance abuse and mental illness. I had little hope as a child but knew by the age of 11 that I did not want the life that was handed to me. After much adversity, hard work, self reflection, and perseverance, today I am in a place I never thought possible. I have a safe place to live, the best friends a girl could ever ask for, a vocation that I love, and I am privileged enough to right now be studying as a graduate student pursuing her PhD.
As a social worker, I have witnessed and heard many things. I have seen the very epitome of hope and the greatest depths of despair. It’s difficult at times, having been exposed to so much both personally and professionally to stay hopeful and remember what my own purpose is. And then a story like yours comes along and is a brilliant reminder of why I am called to do my work. Your story…your willingness to step outside of yourselves and into another’s world even for a short time reminds me that we, as human beings, are all in this together ~ no matter where we come from, no matter what we have or don’t have, no matter if we recognize we are one another’s brothers and sisters or not.
Thank you for serving as a beautiful reminder about the importance of being human. I wish you love, peace, and many blessings so that you may continue your important work of shining as beacons of light for those who need reminding that hope exists in the world and can change everything.
With Deepest Gratitude,
- S.B., Canada
