Sonder Explained

The first time I read the definition of sonder, I felt like something clicked into place. To me, sonder is the understanding that every person I meet, or pass on the street, or interact with when I’m ordering a coffee, is just that — a person. It can be hard to remember this when we have so many distractions. My personal problems are completely valid, but so are everyone else’s. It helps to hone out and realize that when another person is rude to me, or distracted, or quiet, it doesn’t usually have anything to do with their personal feelings towards me. This isn’t meant to excuse inappropriate treatment, but rather to highlight the difficulties people go through which may affect their actions. I want to use this platform to highlight my own humanity as well as others, because the world can be a lonely place if you don’t have community. I want to embrace people for all that they are, even if that means I don’t always like them. You don’t have to like someone to understand them. And I believe that the more we make an effort to understand others, the more we’ll find we have in common with them. We’re all just looking for validation, whether we admit it or not. I want SonderlyBlog to create a sense of like-mindedness in a world that has recently felt more divided than ever. I know that I’m not the only one craving a sense of humanity again; this is my contribution towards making that happen.