My Race is Human : Poems About Life, Compassion & Encouragement – by Kabir Singh.
Please note: this video contains graphic content.
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Finding human equality in divisive times…
There’s no denying that the last year has been one of the most challenging periods in our lives. But our problems didn’t begin in 2020, and they won’t end anytime soon either. Grief. Hardship. Division. Racism. Each of us is experiencing these times in our own ways. And some of us feel the weight of it far more than others. But we’re all living through it. As part of the human race, we’re all sharing this unique thing called the human existence.
Like many of you, I have found solace during dark times by exploring the inner self. For me, it’s through writing positive poems: poems of encouragement, love and compassion. Poems about life. Inspirational poems.
I deeply believe in the power of sharing positive messages in times of uncertainty and negativity.
One of my most personal, inspirational poems about life…
As some of you know, I am a voice actor by profession – but I am also a poet and a philosopher. I believe it’s important to find the deeper meaning to our existence and put those thoughts to paper.
For the last 5 years, I’ve been working on a poem that is very close to me. It gets to the root of how I feel about our shared existence, exploring issues of human equality, human rights and how compassion makes us human. It goes beyond the deep layers of injustice, inequality and ignorance that fuel our cruel, divisive world. Unlike other, more general poems about life, this poem is inspired by a core belief about myself (and ALL of us) that is vital to our finding our shared compassion and empathy: my race is human.
I invite you to watch the video above where I share the poem in a voice over with visuals that help to reinforce the message. Below, I’ve also included the text of the poem, followed by some of my thoughts on what it expresses.
My Race is Human
by Kabir Singh
My race is human. I bleed the same blood – I’m neither White, Black, Indian or a Buddhist monk.
It’s the lack of empathy and love that creates humans that judge- ignoring that our race is all ONE.
That all of life thrives under the light of ONE sun and that we can all die by the bullet in ONE gun.
You see, you & I bleed the blood circulated by the same pump & if at war with evil- ONE race – human’s triumph.
So I sleep crying to the excess of our ignorance, the hypocrisy and the utter lack of our due diligence.
Just go ask the Native Americans- historically speaking, every American is an illegal immigrant.
Marriage is love and love is innocence – God says gender is irrelevant – so bring peace to the humans that are gays or lesbians.
Corporate crooks create an illusion of economic brilliance, but making money – doesn’t make you brilliant.
Solve poverty and hunger because these are real problems humans are dealing with.
Illiteracy & famine up as we stare at the ribs of these little kids.
Love and Respect to the environmentalist- fighting off corporations that rape food resources from our great – great – grand kids.
1865 or 2- 0- 1- 6- being a Democrat or Republican is all irrelevant.
Brothers & sisters please free yourself from a fascist government.
Unity over division is the definition of what unconditional love is.
And always remember that human beings are supposed to be kind, empathetic and love to be generous.
So all the generations please stand in unison- because compassion and love makes us human again.
Because compassion and love makes us human again.
I said, because compassion and love makes us human again.
& in the end – our race- is still going to be HUMAN my friend.
So I’m not waiting; I can’t wait for the world to change. So I’m changing, I’ve got to make my change today.
I said I’m not waiting; I can’t wait for the world to change. So I’m changing, I’m going to make my change today.
Dedicated to love and peace where ever it may reside.
Defining the “human race” through love…
I want to take some time to break down this poem to explain what it means, especially in the context of the video.
As I mentioned above, this is one of my most personal poems of encouragement, love and compassion. So it’s important that the start of the video grounds you with my core message: my race is human. That’s why one of the first images you see is a baby in the womb. It’s the starting place where all human existence begins … before it’s colored by all the biases, belief systems and attitudes that shape our experiences after birth. It all begins with that triumph: the miraculous story that is the human race.
A seed in the soil of empathy and love…
We all bleed the same blood. That is the heart of my message. Because when we forget that our race is all one – HUMAN – that’s when we begin to lose empathy and love for each other.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s important and natural for us to identify by race, religion, gender, sexuality and other individualities. But those who lack empathy are the first to use those identifiers against others – and seize on those identifiers as differences. This is one’s ego. The ego of superiority and neglect.
The imagery in the video underscores the inhumanity that can come from ignoring our shared humanity. The lynching of Black Americans. Violence. Persecution. War. The lack of empathy creates humans that judge and become resentful. That judgment and resentment boils into bitterness, rage and discrimination. In the end leaving room only for hate.
The excess of our ignorance & hypocrisy…
My race is human.
We all bleed the same blood.
To ignore that point is to practice a willful ignorance. And you don’t have to go far to see the excess of this ignorance in our world, or the hypocrisy that grows out of it.
… The Americans who reflect hate towards “Illegal immigrants” ignore that their forefathers were once the immigrants who forced Native Americans out of their homelands.
… The religious who deny marriage to gays and lesbians ignore the teachings of the bible: unconditional love.
… The corporate crooks who profit from the deepest problems facing humanity: poverty, hunger, disease and the destruction of our planet.
Hate will not go away. Greed, lust, ignorance and other traits we all posses won’t either. Love is of the higher self. Reflecting love is our duty.
Being Democrat or Republican is irrelevant …
My message isn’t political. It’s human.
This poem is written with love and in the spirit of encouragement. So even though I call attention to the most tragic consequences of our lack of empathy, this poem is really about rediscovering our love and compassion for each other – regardless of political beliefs and conditions.
1865 or 2-0-1-6-. Being a Democrat or a Republican – it’s all irrelevant. Every decade brings new political division, and those political winds are constantly shifting. But the one thing that remains static is our shared humanity. It doesn’t matter what political party a president is a part of – often times they may face the same level of hate and, in some cases, tragic death.
Compassion and love make us human again…
“Unity over division is the definition of what unconditional love is”…
To truly have compassion and love for each other, we need to unite under the truth that our race is human. We all share that central bond. It’s our entire existence.
The video highlights some examples of this compassion – people helping each other in challenging times, unexpected friendships among those with ideological differences, businesses helping to shelter people displaced by natural disasters. These are only a few examples, but compassion like this happens every day. It can be hard to see sometimes, but it’s all around us. And that is what makes us human. Sharing love and compassion for each other means acknowledging the fact that we are all going through this existence together, as humans. We may not always know what it’s like to walk in each other’s shoes, but we share the same blood that keeps us moving forward.
But I’m also aware that it can be too easy to lose sight of this unity. We’re bombarded by signs of division and hatred all the time. It distracts us from our shared humanity and makes us start losing connection with our own empathy. That’s why we can’t afford to sit back and wait for the world to change. We need to be more conscious of our humanity and proactive about being compassionate, kind and generous—within ourselves.
A commitment to human equality and self-change…
I can’t wait for the world to change. I need to be an active participant in our humanity, not a bystander. I’ve got to make this change today. The only moment we have is our current breath – life cannot promise us the next one. I am doing the best I can to make small changes in regards to my feelings, habbits and perspectives. In hopes that I shine a light of love in the cracks of darkness.
For me personally, that means making important self-changes:
- Becoming aware of my lust for the superficial things in life and trying to find value in the humility of everyday living
- Becoming aware of other people’s struggles and hardships instead of focusing on mine
- Finding compassion in my everyday surroundings – such as serving my mom as she gets older and helping my sister, who has polio, with normal living
- Becoming less ignorant when having a conversation with someone that has opposite beliefs and values than I do
- Loving people without judgment of their life conditions, circumstances and struggles
- Affecting my sphere of influence (friends, strangers in my community, family) by being more loving, compassionate, empathetic and listening to their needs instead of focusing on mine.
This list will always be a work in progress. And, I will continue to write new poems of encouragement and to apply the principle of “human race love” in everything I do, not merely as a poet or a voice over talent, but as a friend, brother, son…etc. The more I can continue to understand my role in our shared human experience, the more human I can become.
A special thank you…
Tim Tippets dedicated more than a fair amount of time to help me put this video together. He is a talented musician and voice over specialist. I couldn’t have done this without him and I will always be grateful. He’s taught me a lot about the nuances and complexities of sound. From the music to the sound engineering, he is a true master and artist. My brother, I love you. Thank you for helping me be better.
Everyone who has taken the time to watch/read/support me- thank you for sharing this life with me – whomever you are – I love you & I appreciate you.
~Kabir Singh
Some background about this poem – Q&A Style:
1) What personal experiences inspired me to start this poem?
I am a product of many different cultures, religions, ethnicities and people. A lot of different people have helped me become a better person. As I’ve gotten older, it was the positive influences of these people that helped me overcome some of my own struggles and sufferings. Human beings from all different backgrounds contributed to my success in my career as well. As a professional voice actor and poet, my job is to communicate my observations and emotions in an artistic manner. I remember when I was a child, every time I felt some sort of pain or suffering I would write poetry. Poetry allowed me to escape that suffering. Some of the things I write about are highly controversial. But, life in its essence is controversial. This poem was written from a place of frustration and anger with the way human beings are treating other human beings. To me, compassion and love are the most fundamental necessities of a human beings’ existence. Compassion and love allow one to look beyond their own needs and desires. With all the sufferings I described in this video, I wanted to balance it out with the tremendous amount of compassion I also see in this world from other human beings with a conscious spirit. Topics ranging from bullying, racism, money and fame plague our cultulre dailiy. This piece is a reflection of my message and the antithesis of such topics.
2) How do I balance my philosophies about humanity with my professional intentions as a voice actor? Where do they intersect or diverge?
As a professional voice actor who has a specific sound that is being labeled by an industry that is ever growing- this is a very tough question to answer. I was born in India. I was raised in the inner cities of Los Angeles and thus reflect a certain essence to the way I speak – which can be labeled in many different ways. My only moral compass is to follow my truth. The truth of where I was born and raised. The truth of my influences and my surroundings. The truth of my professionalism as a voice actor and my dedication to the art itself. Truth is what guides me and helps me make sure my intentions are pure. This poem is very deep and reflects truth in humanity. The darkness of humanity and the light of humanity. Often times the intersection of truth and professionalism is serving your clients with love and compassion. Serving my clients in the voiceover industry by addressing their needs and listening to their concerns before piling on my needs or concerns as an artist. The line of humility in value is not always perfect. It must be treded softly.
3) How can we be empathetic toward those who seem to lack empathy toward us?
When I was younger I used to get bullied a lot. I remember many times facing physical abuse and verbal abuse from different students. I never defended myself because I didn’t know how to. I would sit alone and cry. These experiences taught me many different lessons. Empathy is one of the greatest lessons it taught me. As I’ve gotten older I’ve developed a higher quality of empathy for those that inflicted pain on me when I was younger. Hate only begets more hate. “Hurt people hurt people” as a famous quote goes. Empathy is not the easy way- often times it can be difficult reflecting empathy towards somebody that has so much hate towards you for any given reason. But, it is during these times that empathy becomes so much more precious.
When I see an empathetic person showing love to somebody in need – it is one of the most beautiful experiences of being a human being. That reflection of love can be understood by any human being- regardless of race/ethniticity or gender. Empathy is something I have to work on often as it can be very easy to become “coldhearted” in this world. There is a lot of pain and hatred. Empathy is usually not valued and rewarded easily. But, as an artist and specifically as a poet, empathy guides me in my understanding of love and the deeper human connections.
Events Depicted in the Video
It’s important to provide some historical context and clarity about the clips you see in the video, because I think they help to reinforce the message of my poem. Use this list to identify the visuals – each one can be clicked for more information about the event.
0:23 – Duluth lynchings of three African Americans
0:26 – Chicago beating of special needs student
0:30 – Protests following Delhi gang rape & murder
0:32 – Self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức
0:46 – Childen traumatized by war in Aleppo, Syria
0:59 – Suicide of Pennsylvania politician
1:13 – 9/11 World Trade Center attack
1:16 – Eradication of polio
1:21 – Soviet Union drops “Tsar Bomba” nuclear bomb
1:29 – U.S. bombing of Nagasaki, Japan
1:37 – Native American stands up to anti-immigrant protestors
1:55 – Man sings to dying 93-year-old wife
2:08 – Love Has No Labels
2:13 – White House in rainbow colors after same-sex marriage ruling
2:20 – Scene from Nosferatu (1922)
2:37 – Wall Street firms investigated for causing 2007 financial crisis
2:45 – Harvey Weinstein charged with sexual assault
2:49 – Barbara Walters interviews Kardashians
2:56 – Child poverty, famine and hunger
3:16 – Children practice wearing gas masks in WWII
3:32 – Abraham Lincoln
3:35 – Barack Obama
3:38 – Shootings of JFK (’63) & Reagan (’81)
3:48 – Attempted coup in Venezuela
3:52 – Nazi leader Adolf Hitler
3:58 – Protestors hug police during Charlotte protests
4:04 – Black man makes friends with KKK members
4:10 – Furniture store becomes shelter during Hurricane Harvey
4:45 – Arlington National Cemetery
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