The underbelly of society is riddled with darkness and realities far from ours.
Substance abuse, poverty, sex crimes, domestic violence, and hundred other maladies lurking under our noses. We don’t have to go hundreds of miles away to encounter the underbelly. My city, Charlotte, ranks #1 in North Carolina in human trafficking – North Carolina ranks 10 in the nation. That’s only one reality I had no clue about until recently.
Once we notice, the pain can be overwhelming and daunting to carry. Like my coffee mate for this round expressed to me, all we can do sometimes is pull aside on the road and cry for humanity and all the injustices in this world.
But what do we do in the long term? I wish I had an answer. All I can offer is for us to show up, fully present in our lives, communities, circles, and in the lives of our loved ones with love, understanding, kindness, perseverance, and forgiveness.
We all have the power to make our communities a better place without having to take on the burden of saving and curing the many injustices in the world. Sometimes all it takes is showing love and kindness. And that takes many forms – volunteering, creating communities, looking out for our neighbors, donating to a good cause, getting dirty in a fight for a cause near to your heart, or not giving up on loved ones when they need us the most.
PS: To learn how you can combat human trafficking, visit
Ways You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking
Coffee With John 