See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love

by Valarie Kaur

Mother Teresa once said, “If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.” And so, begin with one. Can you choose one person to practice wondering about? Can you listen to the story they have to tell? If your fists tighten, or your heart beats fast, or if shame rises to your face, it’s okay. Breathe through it. Trust that you can. The heart is a muscle: The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Then the next time a black boy in your city is killed by a police officer, or a turbaned Sikh father is beaten, or a Jewish person is stabbed, or a trans woman is murdered, or an indigenous woman goes missing, or a Muslim child is attacked, show up. Show up at the public vigils and memorials to grieve, in person. You don’t need to know people in order to grieve with them. You grieve with them in order to know them.