The brilliant poet George Watsky once said; “There’s 7 billion 46 million people on the planet, and most of us have the audacity to think we matter.” I think about this quote a lot. What strikes me is the usage of the word “audacity”. That we don’t just think we matter or believe that we do but we have the AUDACITY to. That us mattering may not be true, but we continue to believe it anyway; even though there are more than 7 billion of us on this planet, we all are individuals and we still think we matter regardless of the existentialism that comes with being human. I consider myself to have this audacity. I believe I matter, and I think you all should as well. You matter. Now watch out for that repetition, because I am going to be saying it again and again and again. YOU MATTER. You matter because of your effect on the world; things don’t just happen. People make them happen. You matter because of you. Your body, your mind, You yourself are a miracle of the biggest proportions. You matter because if no one believed they mattered, we wouldn’t be ANYWHERE. You are a fully autonomous being, capable of wielding power that no other species on this planet has even dreamt of. When you came into the world, you were meant to do things. Great things. Maybe they won’t be great to everyone, but you will do things that are great to you. Humans are innately born with the capability to nearly do anything, as long as they have the willpower and want to do it. Look no further than the physical prowess of ourselves. To quote The Evolution of Marathon Running by Daniel E. Lieberman & Dennis M. Bramble; “Humans have exceptional capabilities… These abilities, unique among… mammals, derive from a suite of specialized features…” To put it briefly, humans have evolved over the millennia to be better at surviving, though I’m sure you already knew that. The point I’m trying to make is that you are a miracle of nature, one that has been waiting for thousands of years to make its impact on this world. The fact that the first person to run a marathon died but humanity continued to succeed is a testament to our own grit and strength as a species; you matter because you are part of the bigger picture. You matter because you impact the world around you physically. The miracle of human improvement is proof that you do matter; one does not just wake up and walk through a wall. You’re material and you are better because of those who came before you. You are part of humanity, and anything you do will impact the world; you will do great things before your time here is done. Great things take several forms, and some could argue that the greatest thing of all is the mere existence; Perhaps you matter because you are When I say “you are,” I mean it. You are. In this world, in this life, in this universe. Look around. The latest IUCN report states that there are at least 2 million species on this planet. That number is unfathomable. You can’t imagine 2 million of anything, much less unique animal types. There are so many species, that it can feel almost impossible to find humanity among them. That’s almost the beauty of it, the cacophony. There is so much chaos, animals living, dying, breathing, and just EXISTING. You are insane for the craziness of existing in this crowded world yet sane for the same reason. You are such a small part of this, yet you matter so much. You ripple out to those around you. Even the smallest bug matters to a hungry frog. Not to say you’re just a bug to a frog, however. The beautiful thing about humanity is the complexity of it. It’s impossible to weave down a life to just a moment, or a problem, or whatever you may think. Sure, there are millions of species out there, but you happen to be human, you have two legs and a brain that is capable of sentience. What’s stopping you? And sure, I may be singing the glories of humanity, but that is just a small part of the larger story. Some don't believe humanity is good at all. The Cambridge Dictionary defines misanthropy as "the fact or quality of not liking other people," but many would argue it goes beyond that. In our modern world, misanthropy is the negativity and bias that stems from a general hatred of humanity and the suffering it has caused. I am all too familiar with it, and the ancients were as well. One has to look no further than Timon the Misanthrope. Timon was a fictional hermit who tried to avoid humanity altogether; it could be that he was scared of his fellow man, or that he did really hate humanity, with all of his being. He expressed excitement at the idea of the slaughter of mankind and was an overall spiteful person. This isn’t to say that misanthropy is irregular or malicious. I believe that it’s simply part of human nature to see what we have done to the world and feel enraged or to assume that we don’t matter because of the pain we have caused. We do, however. We matter so much, every single one of us. It’s a harmful assumption to say that misanthropy has no merits. There is a reason behind it. There is harm in believing that you don’t matter because you’re a part of humanity; we can all share. The world is an earth of many; it's hard to find yourself among the flora and fauna; in fact, this is something humanity has always struggled with; what is a human? One could say that a human is a bipedal featherless creature, but we all saw what happened to Plato when Diogenes scrambled in with a chicken, yelling "Behold! A man!" It is no wonder that he died laughing at his own jokes. But the thing is, among these other amazing creatures, among the giraffes and platypi and Venus flytraps, there is you. You exist too. It's hard to come to terms with our mortal shell. Most have a problem with how they look. It is even harder to comprehend the idea of a body; that you are not just your brain; tucked away in a meat sack. You are your body. The hands you use are you. Your soul isn’t trapped inside your body like it is a cage, Your soul is imbued in your body, like your nerves and your muscles and your flesh. And you matter.

Take a moment to look at yourself and appreciate the beauty and energy of your mortal form. You have free will, but you are also limited. It's like being a god trapped in a material body, with ideas, hopes, dreams, and futures that you want to achieve. You may want to fly, explore, be good, evil, or nothing at all. You might want to watch the sunset on a mountain every morning or live underwater in a bubble. You can do all of this in Minecraft. In Minecraft, everything is possible. During quarantine, it was a way to connect with friends. Before that, it was the subject of songs and a culture that welcomed everyone, old and new. Minecraft is a way for individuals to connect over a vast expanse of blocks. In Minecraft, there is a library that contains thousands of banned books, allowing people to learn things their government might not want them to know. Minecraft is a tool, a means to an end, and yet it is the end. The universe said I love you, and every day I live knowing I am made out of the universe. Minecraft represents both the culture and the counterculture, the beginning and the end. Minecraft is beautiful. Minecraft is humanity.

I remember sitting in my friend’s basement at 13 when she offered me her vape. Despite not liking it at first, I took another hit to rebel against my strict parents. From then on, I associated flavored ‘nic-sticks’ with freedom. In high school, I tried vaping again and quickly got hooked. Despite attempts to quit, I found myself fiending for nicotine in college. With the help of friends and proper medication, I quit cold turkey, only to relapse when I went home. The struggle to quit intensified when I returned to college, but I have managed to stay clean for over a year now. I still get the urge, but I'm determined to stay sober. I am proud of my progress and committed to staying nicotine-free.To me, recovery is the journey I have made since I quit. Putting down the vape is the easy part; not picking it up, however, is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. To me, recovery is the look in my eyes I have regained; the weight I have won back. To me, recovery is the strength to know my limits on all fronts, to know that because of quitting, I am strong and I am capable.