We are all, each of us, fortunate to know different kinds of people.

It can be so much fun to hang out with friends and family, bounce ideas off of each other, share our lives and our thoughts, and be part of a group of people, a community. There are many amazing people to meet and get to know. No two humans are exactly alike, and we need the differences in opinion, outlooks, likes and dislikes, that we bring to each other.

Each of us has experienced having our feelings hurt, whether it was unintentionally through another’s careless words and actions, or from someone who hurt us on purpose in order to see us suffer.

It’s hard to not take it personally when you feel mistreated and overlooked. It’s not fun to feel left out, ostracized, or insulted, no matter how old you are.

Not only does it hurt, it can cause you to doubt yourself, and to feel insecure about who you are.

If you’ve ever been excluded by your peers, family, schoolmates, workmates, or the society you come from, it can feel very personal.