Youthful Life: X

Truth - We each process the heavy things that happen in our lives differently. There is not one way to do so. The tough reality is that some of the things can happen to us can be so traumatic that we never move through it. Some of what we endure sticks with us for the rest of lives. The hardships that come our way may be too much for us to bear. Sometimes it may just be too difficult. Sometimes we cannot be okay because we just flat out are not. This is passing.  "The life of the dead is placed in the memories of the living" Marcus Tullius Cicero *This post is my unadulterated verbal processing of losing someone important to not only me but one of my best friends. They for me were the first to move beyond race in my small town in encouraging the friendship I have with their child. They always made me feel comfortable, welcome, and wanted in their home and their presence. They went out of their way to accommodate me when genuine authenticity. They do not even know how impactf...

Truth - We are all connected. Take a second to pause and reread that statement again. I said we are all  connected. But what does that actually mean? On so many different levels, people all around the world - beyond social media or complicated internationalized market economies but rather the metaphysical notion of the human condition. It is both possible for us all to be different and yet the similar/the same in so many ways. It's both our adherences to rules, regulations, borders, governments, etc. that have separated, segregated, and stratified us. We have come to believe that we are better than our neighbors near and far. In doing so, we have missed out on the opportunity to connect via that common humanity. It's time to reclaim our worldwide community - it's time to go global.  "The differences between people need not act as barriers that wound, harm and drive us apart. Rather, these very differences among cultures and civilizations should be valued as manif...

Truth - Life is an adventure of epic proportions. Think about it. You start in this world with preset attributes, and environment. Your task is to learn as much as you can, figure out why you're here, and do something memorable while you're at it. Maybe you're meant to be the next president of the United States, teach a class of high school students journalism, or run a non-profit benefiting homeless LGBT youth. That mystery is part of the journey. How do you when you have arrived? Are you even taking the right path? Who will you meet along the way? Who are you? All I know for sure is that me, and everyone else, we're all mercenaries. "Not everyone will understand your journey. That's fine. It's not their journey to make sense of. It's yours" Zero Dean What is the meaning of life? It's the biggest question anyone can ask besides the existence of God. Everyone has tried to answer it at some point in time. Don't we try and answer it ev...

Truth - No two people are the same. While the things that connect us may not be as visible as the things that distinguish us from one another, they are still important. With that being said however, our individuality is both literally and figuratively what makes us different from any and everyone else. There are times when our uniqueness is recognized and valued, but even more so instances where it is overlooked. Our lives are painted over with a broad stroke of a generic narrative. The reality is, our stories, and the colorful illustrations that go with them vary. Treating people as persons instead of collective people can have some powerful impacts. Time to find your inner purpose - this is finals season. "The world is the true classroom. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with our own eyes." Jack Hanna   College is not for everyone . Let me say it one more time for dramatic effect. College is not for everyone. Th...