Monday, June 13, 2016

another way around it

we are all afraid of something.
it originates from
a strong sense of individuality.

we are told from an early age
how unique we are,
and how we should be careful
of being led down
the wrong path by someone else
with another agenda.

stay away from outside religions
while being careful not to
question your own sense
of spirituality.

conform while retaining
your individuality.

you are special.

there is no one else quite
like you, little snowflake.

but make sure that you
find a group which best suits your
core beliefs.

women should be this way.

men should be this other way.

do not divert from the path
elected for you.

stand firmly in one opinion
or another.

but what we are not told about is insanity.
we are not informed about
the harsh reality that if we
keep our mind too tight,
it may snap.

if we believe that the world
is one way, but clearly see that it does
not conform to our set patterns, we have
a tendency to lash out at that
which is different from ourselves.

with enough push and pull, with enough
second guessing, with enough human contact,
and reading, and experience, and travel,
we find that
we are not all that different
than those we are taught to hate.
we begin to see that all those other faces
resemble our own.
we start to see that there are a hell of a lot
of people out there just as lost and confused
as we are.

but if we continue along the paths
set out for us by those that claim
to have our best interests in mind,
there is a tendency to become rigid
and angry,
even hateful from the fear
ignorance provides.

there are about a million other
people just like you, give or take
a few million, either way.

i'm not unique.
you're not unique.
those who you admire
are not unique either.

what makes you special in
one moment
makes you just like someone
else
in another moment.

it is in our realization
of solidarity
that humanity becomes
a little less frightening,
a little less harsh,
a little less rigid.

so when the hate fills you,
and you see everything
as if it exists
outside of yourself,
you may, in fact,
just be experiencing
a type of sickness
that was ingrained
in you as a form
of individuality...
and it is easy to remedy
when you realize
that everybody
breathes the same
air
in the same way
that you breathe air.
everybody hurts from
time to time.
everyone feels,
and everyone kneels
under the same sun
that shines down on you.
but the truth is
that there is no truth
other than the truth
that you
choose to believe.