On REAL's twitter yesterday Mel wrote 'If we stopped thinking of ourselves and focused on humanity.' I watched the SBS news last night (for the first time in a while) and it made me realise how lucky I am, to be here, safe and loved.  

As floods drown the people of Peru, I sit at my desk writing this blog, drinking coffee and listening to Triple J on my headphones.  

Yesterday a Haitian man was pulled out of the rubble, fifteen days after an earthquake hit Haiti leaving 170,000 dead. In that time I went out with friends, saw a movie, went to the beach, water skied, swam, drank and listened to the Hottest 100.

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am. I complain about stupid things, I have pathetic arguments with people I love, at times I can be selfish, vain and self-centred. It is during such times that I forget that I am not the only person living in this world, and maybe, just maybe I should stop focusing on myself for one second and realise that there are people worse off than me, that I actually have an amazing life, full of amazing people and opportunity.

I am reading a book at the moment called Gogo Mama. It is written by Sally Sara, who is an Australian journalist. Sally tells the story of twelve women living across Africa. I have just finished the first story about a woman called Helen. At a young age Helen’s family was attacked by a rebel group. The boys in the rebel group cut off her lips to illustrate their power and strength, leaving a scar that could not be removed.

Helen's story is just one of many African women who endure a lifetime of pain and humility due to the actions of others. I cannot begin to imagine what she went through or how she even survived. Imagine if your lips were cut off tomorrow. Would your friends accept you? Would society accept you? Would you accept yourself?

But it is not the lips that make Helen's story interesting; it is her will to live, her ability to continue to love, care and nurture others around her and her ability to see past appearance. She quotes at the end of the chapter...

'Everybody who is born, is born without a scar. They just happen in the course of life. People who attach too much importance to appearance are shallow thinkers. They are shallow. We should accept people the way they are. Let us not despise whatever God has given.'

I often get caught up in the body image, beauty, skinny debate, talking about who is REAL and who is not. Sure these issues are important, but how important, when floods devastate countries, earthquakes destroy lives, bushfires tear apart families?

I think it is time to stop focusing on ourselves and invest energy in the things we love doing, the people we love hanging out with, the activities that make us smile and the ideas that help to create master pieces.

In the year 2010 I will remember Helen's story. I will remember that we are all born without scars and throughout our lives we gain scars that we may or may not like. Those scars do not taint us; instead they give us strength, perspective and the ability to love both ourselves and those around us.

Scars make us REAL, and REAL we are.