by Tracey Rich

I love this expression. It inspires and reinforces the fact that we are all, only human. What a wonderful, vulnerable, potent, and hopeful condition. We have the power of hope and imagination. We have the sometimes scary, vulnerable possibilities of being touched and moved deeply. We have the ability to be hurt and to hurt others. We have both courage and fear. We can dream. And, we can get things done.

I heard Chris Hayes use an expression the other night; "people all the way down". It struck a chord in my heart as both true and precious. Humans all the way down is what it said to me. I am aware that there is a book with a similar title, Turtles All the Way Down, but I was sure that Chris made this little thought form up right on the spot.

I had a friend recently become fascinated with another news story that involved a human tragedy. She had admittedly become obsessed in her focus. And as one is humanly vulnerable to doing, she was bordering on small facts becoming blown out of proportion and into suspicion and conspiracy. But I reminded her how common it is that simple human error is so often the real story and truth. I have experienced this first-hand watching the way information can be passed along, and decisions made in error, like those that contributed to my own father's hospital-related death. A human to human chain where a link can be easily miscommunicated or inadvertently dropped. Certainly, a tragedy in the life of my family. Human life can be that fragile. And things are often that life changing, and that simple.

We are but human. And good or bad, we pass things hand to hand, mind to mind, and heart to heart. Let us be as kind and conscious, as clear and self-reflective, as truthful and honest, and as caring and intentional as we possibly can be. After all, we are all we've got. We stand upon one another's shoulders. And we are human, all the way down.