humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
Life of a African boy
Southern Africa was not a place of playgrounds or fairs. It was a place of hard workers, and poor families. It was a place where men rarely learned to be real men, and instead would often abandon their families for the sake of their own freedom. This was the world that Dominick was born into. Until the age of seven, he was a child. A child who had chores, and rules, but a child still. When he was seven, his own father, like many in his community, abandoned the family. Dominick's mother had a small daughter to care for, only a few years younger than Dominick. Though he was still so young, he became the man of the house. He did his best to work and earn an income for his family. He would take any job he could, from sweeping out stores, to stacking boxes, to clearing out trash. Whatever someone would pay him for, he would do. There were other children his age and a bit older who were in a similar position, and they too would work. However for them all there was another temptation staring them in the face. Hard work only earned them so much in an impoverished area. But criminal acts, paid a whole lot better. One by one Dominick watched his young friends succumb to the draw of the criminal life. He would see how easy it was for them to become successful, by any means necessary, and how much easier their lives became with the new wealth they obtained. However, Dominick always instinctively knew that kind of wealth was short lived. He knew that in the end they would be forced to pay for all their crimes, one way or another. He did not give in to the temptation to earn an income in such a way. He just picked up the jobs they left behind. He created a reputation for himself amongst the shop keepers and neighbors, so much so that they would wait specifically for him to offer him a job. They knew that Dominick would do it correctly, and quickly. Dominick managed to earn enough to keep food on the table for his mother and sister.
By Terence Lisher6 years ago in Humans
Who am I?
When I looked in the mirror, I was trying to figure out who was looking back at me. I knew it was me, but I wanted to dig deeper into my soul. Who I truly was. After all the pain and hurt I've been through in my past. The question I always asked myself, Who am I?
By Sara Bevins6 years ago in Humans
Welcome to My World...
Many of us have pet hates. Perhaps even calling something a 'pet hate' is a particular peeve of someone. There are those 'parent' phrases, you know the ones, things our own parents used to say and we tell ourselves we will never say to our child but inevitably do: because I say so; if you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about; because I am your mother. I am sure there are countless others.
By Sapphire Ravenclaw6 years ago in Humans
Have We Lost Our Way
When you are out and about take a look around. What do you see? Many people have said to me that they see more and more homeless people every single day. What I am noticing is that there are a lot more women. Yes it is true that the major cities have more, but I can assure you that the smaller towns do too. Just like that bird nest in the tree we all deserve a place to call home. Recently I read an article about Austin, Texas, and they were talking about how they are trying to include homeless people in their data count. They estimated that “over 7,000 individuals experienced homelessness in 2018. The 2019 Point in Time Count showed that there were 2,255 individuals experiencing homelessness in Travis County on a single day. Of the 2,255 individuals experiencing homelessness, 1,169 were sheltered and 1,086 were unsheltered.” In their estimation they said that “1,944 are homeless students.” (austinecho.org) Yes Austin is a college town, but that is a lot of students who do not have a place to live. What is not understood is why doesn’t the University of Austin do more to provide housing for their students? What else is often overlooked is homelessness and domestic violence. “According to the HUD 2017 Point In Time Count, of the total homeless population in Texas, 3,768 individuals reported they were victims of domestic violence.” The numbers for this are often inaccurate, because of privacy reasons. Domestic violence is horrible enough, but then they end up having no home, because they had to leave in order to be safe. When I think about the Bill Gates of the world, or the Elon Musks, there are more than enough wealthy individuals who could, and who should do more to help. We see a lot of empty rundown buildings that could easily be refurbished by people who have the means. These buildings would allow housing for those who cannot afford it. What is important is to help them to have a safe place to sleep, to shower, and to eat. We all deserve this. We as a society can keep turning a blind eye to this, but then what happens when this happens to you, or to someone you know and love? These numbers are staggering, and this is just for Austin. Try to imagine the numbers for Dallas, or Los Angeles, or for Chicago. Then think about the elements, the heat of Texas, or the freezing cold of Chicago. This is another major concern for people who are experiencing homelessness. How would you be if you had to sleep outside in the extreme cold, or the blistering heat of Texas? We go about our days busy as ever, and we forget about what other people are going through. We are supposed to be the best country in the world, but are we, especially if we cannot even help the people who need us the most? So if you are one of those lucky few who have way more than you really need please think about how you can help. Do you really need a 6,000 square foot house for just two of you? Do you need those extra cars that maybe get driven once a month? Imagine if everyone who had even just a little more than what they needed got together to help the homeless people in your town or city. Just think about what you could do. We have to start somewhere, because as human beings it is our job to help others whenever we can. Like they say, “You can’t take it with you when you go,” so why not do some good with what you have right now? Surely it’s not going to make your lives less comfortable if you’re already living high lifestyle. Think about that tree and the nest. That bird would prefer a birdhouse with four walls and a roof. Wouldn’t we all rather have that? People become homeless for many different reasons. We as humans should feel a sense of obligation to help, to do whatever we can, whether it’s volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, or donating our time at a homeless shelter, and yes even donating what we can as far as money to help in anyway that we can.
By Lilli Adams6 years ago in Humans
Death Perception
Humanity has thousands of beliefs birthed from the misunderstood and unknown. Through our perceptions we’ve breathed life into the forces beyond our control and called them gods and goddesses, paranormal phenomena, supernatural intervention, philosophical quests, or new challenges for the scientific mind. The multifaceted views of our environments and ourselves can bring an existential calm or crisis. One event we are all forced to acknowledge is death, a circumstance that has been personified, feared, respected, and flat out denied. Death is permanently somber, sometimes bittersweet, and a trigger to many wonders about life. Its paradoxical effect on all of us inspires contemplation in every facet of our lives, which is why I'd like to briefly explore the many perceptions of death throughout humanity’s history.
By Aliciel Alone6 years ago in Humans
Why Bullies Bully
A bully picks a victim they admire. They pick on them for the sole reason that they are better than the bully. The bully is systematically ashamed of their personality, so their victim has something the bully wants, which is to feel good about themselves. While a sociopath is a bully by nature, normal people who bully do it from feeling inadequate about who they are. Bullies have major self-esteem problems. Expert manipulators lie to their victims a lot, trying to change their version of reality. Many a bully in many places has tried to make me feel like I do not have the right to live without being threatened physically, mentally, or emotionally since it is reminded that you have the right to create your own healthy life. In my Tae Kwon Do class, it was once said that you should never expect to get an apology from a bully, ever.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez6 years ago in Humans
Call Me Noah (short story)
In the fall of 2018, me and my best friends Alex and Trent went on a 4-hour road trip to Jacksonville. We planned to spend two nights there for a Sierra West concert, an indie pop artist we’d been obsessed with since for years. Per our adventurous-but-broke nature, we had a tradition of piling all of our things into Trent’s jeep and hitting the road, all agreeing beforehand that we would take shifts driving. I’m not saying this trip was my self-actualizing, burning bush experience, but definitely one I won’t forget. Here is the story of how someone (who is both a stranger and family at once) subtly transformed my life.
By Dylan Dames6 years ago in Humans
The Relationship ⛴❤️💚
Once upon a time there was a man who came from a ship that had been wrecked from his journey and washed him up to the seashore he wore an old white t-shirt with blue jean pants and his hair had long dreadlocks within his hair. He found the tools around him from the ship reck that also washed up on land he had a pick ⛏️ axe a hammer 🔨 and a wooden shovel as well and as he looked around so gracefully within the beautiful sunset he discovered palm trees in the distance. As he approached the palm trees he took his axe and chopped them down and separated them into two piles one for a cabin and the other to get out of the cold with to start a fire and boiling fresh water and cooking while finding food to eat and medicine to heal his wounds from the pain he encountered on his last journey.
By The Temple Of Grimm6 years ago in Humans
Avenues: Ch. 3
As soon as you drove into East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, you knew you were in a different world. The Puerto Rican culture was strong here. You could feel its rich history ingrained within its streets and its proud residents. The scent of authentic Puerto Rican food flowed out of smaller restaurants like Cuchifritos, and blew throughout the area, making the rest of us realize how long it has been since we've eaten something homemade.
By Sharlene Alba6 years ago in Humans
