Excluded

Painting by Rachid & Omar

On the basis of a letter from Dila Baloğlu (Turkey)

The excluded person

Being excluded is a situation that makes you question your existence. You are exist, but you feel like a ghost. No one sees you or wants to see you. Like a forgotten character in a fairy tale. As time goes by, your life energy diminishes and the surroundings become darker in your eyes. Life no longer has the old colors. The people around you shine, but you fade. Like a soul disappearing into the shadows. You are all alone in the crowd. You lose your sense of self and you don’t feel worthy of love. Maybe you hate yourself. You gradually lose your self-confidence. Maybe one day, by chance, someone notices you. Notices your flaws. They make fun of you. They humiliate you. Now you have an obvious flaw and an invisible personality. The only thing they know about you is that flaw. But you still endure, perhaps a tomorrow full of hope will be enough to lighten the shadow of exclusion.