Youthful Life: X

Truth - Money only has value because we have made it that way. Think about it just like we covet dirty green pieces of paper with dead white men's faces on them we could just as easily be doing the same with q-tips, buttons, or pebbles. The object is arbitrary but the way we idolize it is where it gets all it's power from. Some say does not bring happiness, and while that may be true, it most definitely gives you access to obtaining it. More money more problems, but are some of those self-induced? This is unrestricted.  "Wealth is the ability to fully experience life" Henry David Thoreau In this day and age where the vast majority of people are seriously struggling to make ends meet, it has almost become taboo to speak on the topic of wealth. Who has it? What is it? Why does it matter? There has always been this shroud of secrecy and pretending when it comes to socioeconomic status. People put on a show to act as if they have more  (and sometimes less) than...

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 - Connection is one of the defining characteristics of the human experience. We exist in communities, tribes, families, and relationship because they are what we need to sustain us. People matter, more than we realize. We are impacted by the things others say and do as they interact with us, but even more so in the subtext of when they have departed or what is left unsaid. It is true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but sometimes absence helps you realize you were better off without them. Navigating relationships is a lifelong endeavor - this is constant contact. "Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection and the path to the feeling of worthiness. If it doesn't feel vulnerable, the sharing is probably not constructive." Brene Brown It's funny just how much my relationships have changed since graduating from college. The ways in which I approach people, the kinds of questions I ask, and the sincere intentionality behind it is all new. Without...

Truth - A change of perspective does the mind good from time to time. Being reminded that every person you come across experiences the world differently than you do, and likewise, you from them can be an important thing. It can be so easy to get caught up the chaotic monotony of our everyday lives and miss out on the opportunities to know other people, brand new experiences, and figure out ourselves if we do not shift our perspective every once in a while. Things are never what appear to be, and at the same time they are. It all just depends on your altitude. "Your perspective on life comes from the cage you were held captive in.”   Shannon L. Alder How easy it is to forget that the ways that we ourselves are inherently different than how others perceive us. We think we're showing up in one way and that might be so, at least to us, but others may experience us differently. The tough thing is we have to acknowledge that both perceptions are uniquely valid, and yet fundamen...

Truth - There is a time to usher in peace and a time to wage war. Knowing when those times is an imperfect process of trial and error. The art of war truly is one that requires a specific finesse just as the notion of peace is not so easily accepted. It's a delicate balance between raising hell and bringing heaven to Earth. Learning how to pick your battles and knowing when to bite your tongue is complicated. It never gets any easier either. Sometimes you really just have to be a firestarter.    " I think of myself as a catalyst of action and a messenger of hope, turning people onto themselves and turning people onto their dreams."  Les Brown One of the few things I miss about my college years was the implicit self-determination and autonomy I had. At a moment's notice I could go from class to a meeting with administrators or to a protest. There were times where I could placate and dialogue to an understanding. On other occasions I had to be nothing more than ...

Truth - People are never who we imagine them to be; they are so much more. All our predictions of how each and every person will turn out are nothing more than romanticized fantasies There's no way to know what the each person holds inside them or how things will go until you get to know them. Why then do we spend so much making things up instead of being in the here and now with them? Why do we settle for cheap imitations when we can have the real thing? Why take the fool's gold when you can have genuine gold?   "We are treasure chests with more jewels inside than we can imagine.” Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha The great outdoors have never been something that I have been too fond of but there have been times where I've truly enjoyed it. One of those times was my in my childhood when I'd want to explore a forest or near a streaming creek. I'd get down in the mud and make little trenches for the water to flow in. I could spend hours redirecting the flo...

Truth - Comebacks can either a return to the spotlight or an embarrassing public guffaw. Thinking of people's careers, usually entertainers, there have been those who have disappeared from the public eye and returned stronger than ever and then there was some that wanted to make an appearance but were one hit wonders. Reinventing yourself works sometimes, and other times your run in the limelight fades out. Everyone wants to be relevant for the long run. It takes knowing yourself, how others perceive you, and keeping up with the times. This is return of the mess. "Happiness comes out of being willing to do your work in your twenties to find out who you are, what you love." Candice Bushnell   To be quite honest I love my life, plain and simple. I am so happy I get to be me. I wouldn't want to be anyone else. Sometimes I forget and get caught up in the melodramatic woe is me pedantic runaround. In the grand scheme I live a privileged, impactful, and most of a...

Truth - The way things appears and the way things are can be drastically different and yet exactly the same. How something is viewed can make all the difference. Context is key. Without background, history, or relevant input we're left to piece things together. From one angle things may look alright but change your viewpoint and it's a completely novel story. We edit, cut, and paste together our lives and the world around us. Even what we play back and tell the world is only one version of the truth. Change your vantage point, change the world.   "When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it's like giving them emotional oxygen." Stephen Covey Do we ever fully get the whole story? I mean, do we ever get to know everything or the exact truth? The definitive answer is no. Every single time we tell a story, it's different. We hyperbolize, without details, and remember selectively. Every r...