Seeing someone homeless, living off the streets, scared, alone—it touches me. I would be terrified if I were in their shoes. But it’s also an opportunity to see more than just suffering, to also see strength. That’s where my path has gone much more: from that recognition of our common humanity and the need for empathy and compassion, but also the need for a deep level of respect for how each of us survives and how resilient humans can be. They have different hurts, different joys, different strengths; they still have the whole arch of humanity just like I have it.
-Jennifer Freeman, University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice, Women PeaceMakers Program, Peace Writer and Program Officer, Director, San Diego, CA
