Last weekend, scrolling through Facebook felt like wading through a seemingly endless sea of pink hats, homemade signs and aerial photos of packed streets.
The pure, unadulterated determination seemed electric — like it was much too big, too important, to be contained inside a 2x5 iPhone.
Experts estimate as many as 4.6 million women and men participated in the Women's March. That's approximately 1 out of every 100 Americans.
If you truly believe in honest-to-goodness, bona fide American values, you'll find that inspiring — no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.
Donald Trump promised to bring Americans together. At least this once, he's proven to be a man of his word.
The demonstrators proved that most humans, no matter how seemingly different, are tied together by empathy.
Some people, though, weren't impressed by Saturday's events. Some were actually angered.
If you feel that way, especially if you are a woman who feels that way, I urge you: reconsider.
The women and men who marched didn't do it because they, themselves, feel victimized. They did it because they know others do.
Many of us, in our daily lives, interact exclusively with people who look like us. These people usually have similar socioeconomic and education backgrounds.
It can be easy to get sucked into a vacuum.
But you can't allow yourself to forget that there is a great, big world outside of that vacuum. Other people exist, and their experiences are just as valid as yours.
Someone on the news this weekend, I can't remember whom, said, "Saying nobody should march because you don't personally feel oppressed is like saying nobody should go to the hospital because you feel fine."
I think that's a wonderful, simple explanation for a confusing and contentious concept. There's not enough space on this newspaper page or ink in the printer to explore every issue that prompted the demonstrators to march this weekend. So, I'll leave you with this thought:
You matter. Other people matter. Solidarity matters.
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