I had heard rumors that SDLC was a “deep” and emotional trip, but it wasn’t until the closing ceremony that I realized why.
Someone was telling a personal story, and people all around the auditorium started raising their hands in a “rock on” sign. I didn’t know what the hand sign meant (It wasn’t “rock on”), so I asked the guy sitting next to me.
He looked at me and said, very simply, “love.”
That’s when it clicked for me. These people love each other. The girl on stage was a stranger, but nevertheless about 1,000 teens from all over the world loved her. They didn’t need to know who she was in order to support her.
I thought, “These are all beautiful people. Why isn’t the rest of the world this supportive?”
I couldn’t think of a kinder group of people or a better place to be. This was it. This was my confirmation that people who are genuinely nice actually exist! It was so wonderful that I cried. A lot. I didn’t even care who was talking or what they were saying. I was too preoccupied admiring their supporters. There was so much love everywhere!
I felt complete.
And that was the climax. After that everything went downhill. But at that point, I was complete.
