Forgive me. There was suppose to be a blog post updated after I had gotten back from traveling our great earth. But, there are more urgent matters and main idea points at hand than the one that was suppose to be before this. So here is this blog post now, and the other will come later in the course of life. When life itself seems full of joy, happiness and peace for all man kind.
Terror. There is a certain terror in the world today. Attacks have been happening across the globe. The most recent being the unspeakable crime in Nice, France. Let me list out all of the attacks and injustices that I can remember. Nice, France Fresno Police Baghdad Attack Istanbul Attack Orlando Shooting at Pulse Dhaka Attack Bangladesh Attack Brussels Attack Paris Terror Attacks Nine. The ones that I have looked into the most. Nine. That is far too many. Today's world consists of hate, violence, war, anger and fear. Today's world consists of hurt, pain, suffering and need. Today's world consists of debt, mental illnesses, suicide, and school shootings. Today's world consists of unhappy marriages, abortion, bombings, and police brutality. Today's world consists of murder, cheating, stealing, lying, threats, rape and discomfort. Today's world is ugly. It is tattered and shattered beyond believe. How could we let this become our world? Our race? Our future, present and history? How could we let this become what is reoccurring daily in our lives, in our countries, states and planet? I don't know the answers. I can not grasp why people think that they can kill people. I can not grasp why any person could be filled with so much hatred based off of another's skin color, sexuality, ethnicity, or gender. Just like I can not grasp why the Holocaust happened, why America and people thought that cargo could also be humans, why we had to use nuclear bombs aimed at cities where children lived and played in Japan, where mothers and fathers and nurses and doctors and students and teachers lived their every day lives. Why humans think that it's okay to send soldiers off to battle to kill other soldiers instead of having discussions and compromise. I speak to people my age. I speak to people older than me. I speak to people younger than me. I speak to people who aren't even in my county. I speak to people in different states and cities and suburbs and nations. and I can feel the fear. I can feel the uncertainty. I can feel the worry and ache of wondering "Am I next?" the silent questions that seem to whisper "Is it safe? Am I okay? Will they hurt me? Who can I trust? If something happened how could I survive?" "Am I next?" "Is my city next?" "Is my friend next?" "Is my family next?" "Is my teacher next?" "Is my state next?" "Is my country next?" "Is my community next?" These are the silent questions we ask ourselves. We don't talk about it. Why? Why won't the adults talk to us in detail? Why won't they ask us? Why won't they tell us that this is our world. Where you and I both live. This is what is happening. This is what has become of us. This. is. us. now. This is our present, and with what I have heard and seen, this is possibly our future. We have always been told to fix our mistakes. Well guess what? It is time to fix our mistakes. As humanity. As a species. As a country. As a nation. AS. A. WORLD. I've talked to my friends. We've discussed in loud and heated arguments over situations that have happened. We weigh out the pros and cons of each decision being made for these causes to stop the suffering and the pain. We whisper in hushed voices how scared we are, how worried we are, how nervous we are, how heartbroken we are. We whisper how our world is repeating history, how barely anything has changed, how yes we have made progress but god at what cost? and where is the progress now? why is everything burning? why is more than half the population starving, helpless, homeless, in a war, in pain, in need, desperate? Yes life gives us joys and happy times. We all agree on that. But everyday something happens. Everyday more people die, are wounded, sick, and in need. I see it in my school. People come to school hopeless, tired, trying to make sense of something. I see my friends almost start to cry as they talk about what is happening in their county. In Paris. In Syria. In Israel. In Venezuela. Even in America. They ask me "Why doesn't anybody help? Why isn't anybody helping?" I ask myself the same thing. What are we doing? WHY are we just staring? Waiting for it to be over? We look to see what the adults are doing. We wonder why this isn't being taught in school. We wonder why no one is doing something. We wonder why after a tragedy people post pictures on instagram, twitter, tumblr, snapchat etc., switch their profile to a hashtag and then a few months later carry on life like normal. Why is this acceptable? Where is the love? Where is the peace? Where is the joy? Where is the action? But most of all we wonder "What can we do?" What can we do? Tell us. Anyone. Give humanity SOMETHING so that we can help humanity. No more. Please. I don't want to wake up to another headline of a police not getting caught after killing an innocent person, I don't want another headline of a school shooting that could have been mine, I don't want another headline of a girl being killed because of rejecting a guy, or someone being raped and the criminal barely getting any jail time for it, I don't want to wake up to a killer being justified because they had "Mental problems and conditions that no one was aware about", I don't want to wake up to another murder, another war, another death count, another attack, another hate crime, another disaster, another bombing, another refugee crisis, another human trafficking, another abduction, another kidnap, another abuse case, another violent protest being masked by evil people claiming it's because their religion does not allow it. I don't want to not ever watch the news because of the excuse that "everything is sad. everything is ruined. everything is being destroyed by us." I don't want to watch the news in tears because of another death done by us. I don't want to cry as I text my friends what I've seen trending on twitter or what I saw on the news. I don't want to worry because my friends haven't texted me that they got home okay. I don't want to enter a room and mentally plan out how I could escape if anyone tried to hurt me. I don't want to live in a fear that is always in the back of my mind, knowing that it is in everyone else too. I hear it in the voice of my parents when they talk about the news. I hear it in the voice of my priest. I hear it in the voices of my fellow people in youth group, I hear it in the voice of my little brother and his friends, I hear it in the voice of my classmates, I hear it in the voice of my teachers, I hear it in the voice of my friends, I hear it in the voices that take up a social media platform. It is time to take action. It is time to rise. Doesn't humanity understand? The world is screaming. It is crying out to all of us. No. More.
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There are times in life when we forget. When we forget that amist all of our "busy-ness" we should take a moment to stop and listen. I was lucky enough to have the chance last week to serve a community in which I never knew. It struck with me during that time period that people all around the world have stories that often go untold or unnoticed. It also occurred to me that sometimes in life, we are so caught up in our situations, problems, jobs, fears, friendships, joys, and overall our lives that we forget that we share this planet with other people, and that we aren't really the main focus. The world is full with millions of people. Therefore the world is full with millions of stories. Only a few of them are noticed. I was blessed enough with the chance last week to disconnect from my life, my situations, and the "busy-ness" that life had thrown my way in order to make someone else's life a little bit easier, a little more comfortable, and to show a little more love. In this era, I've found that this generation (including myself) often do things in order to receive something back. We expect to get a prize or recognition for doing the definition of what it means to be human. This week's challenge is to not only go out and explore the world in its entirety, but to love, connect and serve to the world and to the people around you. Take your time to listen to people's stories, to research what you can do in your community in order to make someone or more than one person's life a little better. Everyone deserves to have a little more laughter, love and kindness in their lives.
We as humans need to be reminded from time to time that life is not about us, and that our life is not about us. Our life is about helping others, giving until it hurts, and expecting nothing in return. Not only was I blessed to have the opportunity to help other people, whether it was performing a simple task such as gardening to a harder task such as painting their house inside and out, but I have been blessed enough to know people who work hard to try to spread positivity and love to the world. I am grateful and thankful to know about and to know people who I can look up to as role models, who I can proudly say of what they have accomplished not only for themselves, but what they have done for others worldwide or in their communities. Who are your role models? Who do YOU look up to? Why do you look up to them? What are they striving you to be more like? You reap what you sow. If you plant positivity in the world, you are going to collect positivity. If you plant hatred and darkness, you aren't going to have a happy life. We have two ears and one mouth, we should listen twice as much as we speak. Mother Teresa once said, "A life not lived for others is not a life." This week's challenge is simple. Love. Serve. Connect. Blog posts are suppose to be short and sweet. But my writings are very rarely neither short, most of them however are sweet. Today, I'm reflecting back on the many things I have learned. Summer has now begun, and with it comes new ideas, situations, dreams, goals, and plans. Here is my proposal to you. What have you learned this school year? How have you grown? List them and reflect.
Emotions can cloud our judgement. In fact, I believe that that is what emotions are suppose to do. But when negative emotions overpower your thoughts and actions, it is time to face serious consequences. The beginning of the end doesn't really feel like the end. But when it is the end, you will always know. It's that funny feeling inside of your gut that whispers to you. It's the unwavering nerve that you can't normally shake off. It's what made the phrase "there's a disturbance in the force". It is time now for the end. The end of all familiarity that has been feeding into the heart and soul of the student body and the youth of today. I have been surrounded by positivity and negativity all of my life, just like everyone else. But now, looking around at my friends, my family, my peers, my generation as a whole, I'm disappointed. I'm ashamed. The social aspects we have picked and chosen are no longer fun. The mischievous light that once shone has dimmed. I never have and will continue to never attack any person. But as a writer, and as a thinker, I will attack the social aspect and construct of anything and everything. Social "popular" and of the "normal" phrases have lost their charm. During High School I was exposed to new people, new phrases, and a new rules of how society is and what is acceptable and what is not. Now High School is ending, and with it the "social norms" of today no longer apply.
If you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns about my opinion, feel free to contact me through these social media sites. Twitter: @quietTheM Instagram: @mariaarubiooo Tumblr: arcticseasemeseeds Revival. noun. an improvement in the condition or strength of something. an instance of something becoming popular, active, or important again.a new production of an old play or similar work.
It is the fourth and final Quarter of School life. It is filled to the brim with projects, stressing seniors and freshman alike, the urge to be done with testing, testing ,testing, testing, testing, and the mysterious itch that everyone seems to feel. Suddenly, petty drama is no longer entertaining, tempers are getting shorter, people seemed like they've made a silent agreement to focus on grades, and every student's maturity level has increased by at least half. This is not only the outburst of improvement academically for some, but the slowly and steady increase of transitioning into the people and students we were suppose to be earlier during the year. We are indeed what is considered "Late bloomers". During this time I find myself being more quieter, as if I'm preparing. Most people have stated that my moods are based on the season's twist and pull of current events. I find it that I can be contradicting based on what is thrown my way. But nonetheless, I use that term, even if it is logically impossible to be able to change moods because of seasons. There are only four seasons after all. Forgive me, I know that blog posts are suppose to be short, but I have not written in a immense span of time and I've decided to fill you in. Most times, School friends are the most stressful friends, but I've come to find that life can surprise you. School friends are now quiet, the only talk of gossip is the unimportant ones, the drama bombshells have been put on hold for the public and gossip girl is not happy. The most innocent group, a youth group hold purpose, one of that which is to serve. Kids will be kids. You tend to form a more unified bond with some, and that bond has now escalated to group chats and snapchat spams, whining because you could only see your friends three times this week when you normally see them six times. A specific unified bond has been leaning more on the negative aspect of life, contradicting the immense joy we are suppose to feel because of the ghost taste of freedom we almost have. Maybe it is time for a new revival. Love and Lust. Completely different definitions that are somehow always used interchangeably for one or the other. But what do they both truly mean? Lust. noun. "to have a very strong sexual desire." Love. noun. "an intense feeling of deep affection." Those are the definitions of both Lust and Love. But how do we get them mix up? More importantly why do we use them interchangeably when they both mean two different things? The fact is there is a whole lot of "using" In today's high-school relationships. Which to you probably isn't news. But what we as teenagers fail to realize is that our confusion of lust and love which we now noticed are completely different, are the reason why we decide to use people. Whether we know it or not. You see some teens aren't always sure how to differentiate between someone who loves, someone who lusts and someone who uses. First, we must see that, although there are many ways to love and give of ourselves, there are just as many ways to deceive, to use, and to live selfishly. But of course, without a "Love 101" class we are usually taking a shot in the dark. So how can we see the direct line between loving, lusting, and using? Pope John Paul II explained "For love is not merely a feeling; it is an act of will that consists of preferring, in a constant manner, the good of others to the good of oneself." In other words, we can not judge the value of love by the intensity of the emotion. It's not enough to feel attractions or simply want to love. We must strive to know what is best for the other and then make an actual commitment of our wills to bring about this "good" for the other.
Now that we have defined the difference between love, lust, and pleasure, let us begin our journey into the world of love. Shall we? Now this goes for everyone when saying that we all at some point in our lives just want to be loved as we are, yes? Good. It is completely natural to want to be loved. But how can we as teenagers tell the difference between love and pleasure? To find out, we must first ask these questions to ourselves: "Do I become upset when the person I am with or want to be with does something that I don't agree with?" "Do I now only think about wanting to be with them for pleasure and because they make me happy?" "Do I often complain or express my feelings to my close friend(s) that the person I am currently seeing on how they can make me happy?" If you answered yes to all these questions, then you now only see the relationship as being pleasurable to your own self instead of seeing the relationship on how to make the person you are with happy and if they are content with what you are giving them. You see there is nothing wrong with asking yourself if you are happy, but there is a difference between knowing you are happy and being in a relationship or making someone do something to make you happy. When it comes to love, you don't really mind your emotions as much because you are putting the other person's emotions first. Of course, it is always good to keep your own emotions in check, but when you are in love you often or if not always put the needs and wants of the person you love in front of yours without asking for anything in return.
"To be or not to be, that is the question." To live or not to live, that is the question. How do we live? What is the difference between living and surviving? The difference of course is when you live, you actually know what you are doing and you are aware all the time. While when you merely survive, you're going through the motions of actions and sayings and you aren't aware at anything at all. Lots of teens struggle with this. They struggle with the desire to live, but having only the option to survive which is why teenagers are confused all the time. Teenagers experience emotions so intensely because of the stage they are currently at in their lives. And sometimes, we don't want to feel certain emotions, so we get annoyed and irritated. A lot of the times, adults confuse these outbreaks to being directed to them when in reality they are directed to our own emotions. Sometimes we don't understand what we are feeling, or why we are feeling. But the main idea we forget as teenagers is that we are neither meant to really understand what or why, we only know how and we have to continue with the idea that it will all be sorted out in the end. |