What is it that causes some people to look out for others? Some might say that I am happiest when I am taking care of others, and I'm not sure that I'd exactly agree. True, I am happiest when everyone is taken care of, but on the whole, I prefer for people to remember to take care of themselves. Taking care of each other isn't a bad thing, either. And while I am perfectly happy to apply a little healing as needed, I'd really prefer that people not get broken or distressed.

Some hurts are easy to heal; I find the body marvelously responsive to mending. Too, I've been known to walk into nightmares for the sake of a friend, and occasionally on behalf of a stranger who permits me to help. I've been known to provide people with ammunition to use against the demons of doubt... while I may not be able to lay their demons to rest, I can encourage them to work towards their own freedom of being.

And why do I care? Why should I care about what happens to anybody else? Why should people matter? Simply because I believe that we are all in this thing together: when one hurts, the whole hurts as well. By that same token, when one is healed, encouraged, happy, the whole smiles. And if, as a whole, we are greater than the sum of our parts, if we strengthen the parts, how much greater will our sum be if each of us has achieved our full potential?

I care because I choose to believe that others care as well. If I did not believe that others care, the alternative is living in a world where nobody cares and people don't matter. That sounds a lot like a place where I don't want to go.