sonder

son·der (noun): The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it (Wiktionary).

it's so easy to be so entranced in our own lives that we forget other people are more than side-characters or NPCs. the barista who was snippy with you has a newborn baby at home and she hasn't slept in weeks. the guy who cut you off on the highway is racing to get to his son who was just critically injured and is in the ICU. the thought of somebody existing out of the frame in which i know them is beyond comprehension at times, but it's true. they're out there, operating entirely of their own accord. wild.

~mj