If you are my age (if you don’t know how old I am, too bad) then you remember sitting in front of the tv, laughing while eating a tv dinner, enjoying the show Family Matters. Family Matters was one of the few television shows that was made up of a black cast that portrayed real life situations but was acted out in a manner that could be enjoyed by the entire family. The main character was a nerdy, lovable (yet annoying) young fellow by the name of Steve c and had a pure heart. He was often picked on, teased, and bullied because of his attire, his movements, and his wits. But despite getting picked on and picked over, his love for character Laura Winslow remained steadfast! Steve thought the day started and ended with Laura. He would have moved hell and high waters for her. No matter how many times she turned him down, even with hurt feelings, his pursuit of Laura remained the same.
One day, Steve’s smarts allowed him to create a machine which turned him into his alter ego, Stefan. Now, unlike Steve, Stefan was a well dressed, smooth talking, debonair young man. And suddenly, Laura was in love! Keep in mind, Stefan was still Steve, just a bit more polished. Oh Laura! *in my Urkel voice* How many times have we overlooked our Steve Urkel because it didn’t come in the package that we wanted, at that moment? Or how many times have YOU been an Urkel and got overlooked? Steve Urkel can be a representation of a potential mate, a job opportunity, a partnership, or a business venture. Has there been a time where you wanted something so bad and knew you were qualified to have/do it, yet you weren’t selected simply because you didn’t “fit in”? Or have you looked over a possible mate because maybe they didn’t meet your 6’5 height requirement or the need to have 34-26-38 body shape? But what about when the Steve situation turns into Stefan? When you notice the Steve you turned down for the promotion is actually the Stefan that would have boo company moral. Or when the 5’4 Steve has 6’5 inches worth of husband material? What about the Steve that tried to be your friend but you turned your nose up at him or her and now they’ve blossomed into Stefan and could be a great bestie? Do you still deserve a Stefan even though you were snobby to Steve? Should the Stefan even grant you access? Society as a whole needs to pay close attention to how we treat one another. Treat everyone with kindness and respect. We may not always agree but there is a way to disagree without downing and degrading one another. Be mindful of how you treat the Steves in your life because they may just turn out to be your Stefan!
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