Youthful Life: X

Truth - Giving has to cost you something; time, energy, or something material. Sacrifice is inherent to giving, It is only by giving that get something. That something is exponentially more important than the that you incurred. It is the difference you made is someone else's life and subsequently your own. This notion of community service as being selfless is untrue. Community service is about building connection and this idea of detached philanthropic efforts is part of the problem.  This is humanitarianism. "The humanitarian lays stress almost solely upon breadth of knowledge and sympathy." Irving Babbitt It's the season where our morality apparently starts to kick in because the jingling bells of donation cans, gift drives, soup kitchen serving, food pantry stocking, retirement home card making and all the rest become abundant. In our oblivious excess, we somehow see the poor, the hungry, and the homeless. I struggle living in a city when it comes to givi...

Truth - Once you leave home for the first time, nothing is ever the same. The change that occurs after high school and during college truly is profound. In retrospect, each time I've left it's almost been longer and longer since I returned home. My tolerance for being away from the place where I feel most safe, comfortable, and loved has grown considerably and the lingering feeling that being anywhere else is wrong remains. I wonder if that little notion of uneasiness ever subsides. How do you make a new place home when all you already have monachopsis?   "Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone. It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word solitude to express the glory of being alone." Paul Tillich Monachopsis is defined as the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place. For this new stage in my life, it has become even more relevant. I don't really know how to describe it....

Truth - Relationships are complicated. The dating game has changed drastically. The ways in which people get together, stay together, and even separate have been  totally revamped. The old school sentiments of going steady, traditional dates, and all the idealized lovey-dovey monogamous commitment stuff seems to be on the outs. Just as people everywhere are playing the game differently, some things still haven't changed. Who gets called off the bench, who is nothing more than a gimmick, and who plays from start to finish. This is big black ... "If what you see by the eye doesn't please you, then close your eyes, and see from the heart. Because the heart can see beauty and love more than the eyes can ever wonder" Let's talk about sex . Our society has really made it up to be both all we talk about but shamefully taboo at the same time. Every other song lyrics is about getting it on, having passionate sex, or record numbers of orgasms that are out of this wor...

Truth - The media would have you believe that some things and people are more important than others. Think about it. Is there not inherently a ranking when you see something gets news coverage versus something you have to research on your own? Doesn't that necessarily entail that some people, stories, experiences, etc. are more newsworthy than other? What makes some people, things, and events matter more? This is hierarchy.    “You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.” Mahatma Gandhi It would be woefully naive to believe that all things, particularly in regards to the media could be given equal airtime. That's not realistic and not the purpose of mass media. In trade for our viewership we allow networks, showrunners, and producers to tell us what to care about. What we often fail to do is do more than that and think for ourselves. We're slacking and not doing enough of our own research. We do not see...

Truth - Sometimes the hardest person to love can be yourself. Some people fall in and out of love each day with other people. Some people find love and never let it go. Some people let love consume them in the best ways possible. Why then is it difficult for us to love the people we see in the mirror? Why do we struggle to embrace ourselves, our bodies, spirits, and souls? What prevents us from giving ourselves the same kind of love we demonstrate towards others? Isn't it funny how we can show love towards others but are unable to do so for ourselves? This is self(ie) love.   "The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.”  Steve Maroboli Recently I was a browsing through a Buzzfeed Listicle  - Words for Emotions You Never Thought Anyone Else Ever Felt  and my inner adoration for words and typography shown through as I was struck by each one. One in particular, altschmerz, stood out to me. It's a noun that means...

Truth - Sometimes others are able to see things about us that we may not see ourselves. Isn't it uncanny how people are able to pinpoint aspects of ourselves that may be unbeknownst to us? They pick up on the little things that we do and say, and the ways in which we do so. They notice what we do not. From all of our nuances they speak profound truths into our lives. Whether we are ready to embrace those proclamations or not they somehow seem to become reality. They are the oracles in our lives. " Charisma's good every night. Something special is always about to happen. You've got to believe it." Jim Thome   Looking back at messages that I received from my teachers in high school now has been oh so very telling. They always said that I was different from everyone else in some powerful ways. They took note of my propensity to give almost to a fault not only materially, but my time, and most importantly my heart to others without the expectation. When I tho...