Everyone is a citizen of my world

At the turn of the millennium, the Washington Post asked readers to summarize their lives in 100 words or less. Read them all (increase the count in the url to move ahead). The truth according to WaPo and a hundred citizens.

• Use your pain. It can be a great teacher.
• My life, like most people's, has been filled with compromises.
• Bigotry and ignorance are defeated one decision at a time.
• I represent a forgotten segment of society; I am an inmate in prison. My whole life consisted of other people's opinions and evaluations of me. I fathered two daughters, but I was never a dad. I've never voted. I've never owned a new car. I've never attended a family reunion. I've never attended a wedding as a guest. I attended my brother's funeral in cuffs and chains. I never went to Disney World. I lived a wasted life. I never lived.
• I am an atheist…I have hope: I hope I'm not late for my next class; I hope I get home in time for soccer practice; I hope Dad's making spaghetti for dinner.
• It is dangerous to have only one dream.
• I do not have to worry about the future because this is it.