Last week I was ignored. Someone that I once knew went out of their way not to acknowledge me. It hurt. It made me feel awful. And in that moment it became absolutely clear to me why it is so important to address everyone that I come into contact with. Why in my classes it is necessary to make sure I say hello to every student individually. Why in my community work I must introduce myself to every community member that might walk by, stop in or work at the facility I am at. Not being acknowledged robs a person of their humanity. It is humiliating, painful, and feels crappy. Now my ignorer was an ex, there is a somewhat painful history so I understand the motivation behind his actions, but that still does not make it ok. It makes me think about how bad it must feel to be ignored by someone based on one's gender, class, race or any other means of discrimination. How bad it must feel to have this experience again and again. And I know that sometimes people aren't overly friendly and it is a risk to say hello, but we cannot use the other person's lack of a greeting to justify our own. We must use our own power to acknowledge other people, it is our responsibility.  And if more people choose to act in this way, we can eliminate the demoralizing experience of not being acknowledged.