humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
Judging Makes You Blind
Just after we arrived to the bar and got our first round, my friends and I proceeded to the dance floor as we stood in a closed off circle. It was early in the night and the vibe was off due to the lack of people and energy in the room. As we half-assed danced and made small talk amongst our tight knit group, a random girl in a Tigger onesie approached us dancing like a quote on quote crazy person. She was ethnic, a little heavier than average with her onesie half on and tied around her waste revealing some type of bra/shirt. As she danced and acted outside of the "accepted" bar behavior, intruding our bubble and sticking around for an awkward length of time, we all looked at each other questioning what on earth was going on. I saw the judgement on my friends' faces as we all waited for her to move on to the next, but she didn’t. She stuck around making crazy faces, flailing her arms and body as if she had been dared to embarrass herself. Welcoming us to join in, but not phased that we weren’t. I felt the judgment come over me, yet something happened that is a true testament to my recent self work and growth; I challenged myself in that very moment. I asked myself, “why is my immediate reaction to judge someone instantly, only knowing about her that she clearly does not give a fuck what we think about her?” I needed to know more. A curiosity washed over me as I realized I could never do what she was doing, so I said, “Hey, are you on some type of drugs or do you just not care what anyone thinks?” A smile filled her face, and through her eyes I realized she was completely clear, present, and sober. Her answer was profound. She told me she was questioning life. She had lost two close friends in the past week to drugs and suicide, and she just couldn’t bear to take life seriously any longer. She told me about all the people she has lost throughout her life and her own near death experience. She had battled such depression that it led her to finally give up and down a bottle of prescription pills. As she lay there on her bed, body limp and lifeless, her consciousness was still playing a part. A figure arose in front of her. It appeared as the devil, but in time she realized it was none other than her own self staring back at her. It was the self she pegged as the failure, a loser, the version of herself that lacked all strength and power. This version laughed in her face, taunting her, repeating “HA HA, you gave up.” She realized in that moment she had succumbed to the darkest part of herself; she let it win and in turn gave up the experience of life that she was given. She fought, she resisted, she ultimately decided she would not go out this way. She will not give IN to the negativity and pressure of life that brought her to the point of utter hopelessness.
By summer sheehan8 years ago in Humans
Taught to Paint Without Words
The year was 2014, the Thai government was being overthrown by a military coup, and I had just given up a full ride scholarship at the University of Utah in Marketing. Here I was, a previous frat star growing up from an affluent City in Utah called Park City (home of Sundance).
By Tucker Barsketis8 years ago in Humans
Anything and Everything
I have learned from a series of movies, books, people, that everyone gets hurt no matter what they do. Even if you completely cut yourself off from the world, you are hurting yourself, performing an injustice not only to the world but you. A wise man once wrote pain demands to be felt. Whether you get hurt by a loved one, a complete stranger, or a best friend, you feel. You feel the pain, and for a short time you focus on it. It’s all you can think about, it takes over your life, and it’s around every corner. But then you get used to it. Sometimes it fades away, goes into the shadows, or it just disappears. Pain is like love. It all has the same amount of time, same amount of emotion involved, and it takes up your life. It consumes you. It doesn’t ask, it just does it, but you let it. Some people allow love to overcome them, but don’t allow pain. Some people allow pain in, but not love. Why is that? Why can both things so beautiful destroy you?
By Alaska Yardman8 years ago in Humans
An Open Letter to Those Who Care 'Too' Much
I am absolutely terrified of the world we live in. As a girl who cares and feels so deeply, I often react to the harsh realities of life in a much more troubling manner than the average person. The naive child in me still believes in the good in everyone, and that if I give my all to someone, they will do the same for me. But I have extended a hand and opened my heart to all who have wandered into my life, and it has burned me more times than it has not. I turn on the news and am bombarded with tragedy after tragedy, each one more traumatizing than the next. Most people are saddened and sickened by such events, but typically not to the extent that I am. I have witnessed loved ones of mine go through awful experiences, and while they struggled to deal with it, accept it, and move on, the process was much shorter and far less intense than it is when I go through similar experiences. I cannot even express with words the pain I have felt over situations and experiences, and the difficulty I have had to move on with my life without it affecting every aspect of my existence, that others seemed to get over so quickly. Sure, they were sad, and they were struggling, but it rarely seems to be to the extent it is for me. I do not say this for sympathy, nor do I say this to come off as though I have it so much worse than others because I don't, and I surely do not believe that I do. Everyone has their obstacles, and caring "too" deeply happens to be one of mine.
By Abbey Walters8 years ago in Humans
Strangers
Do you ever walk past someone on the street or hear a little snippet of a conversation while sitting in the coffee shop and wonder what their life is like? Imagine if you had the power to know what would happen in their life that day. Would you tell them? Or would you watch on as it all unfolded?
By Rachel Kyeremeh8 years ago in Humans
What Makes Us Human
Picture this: You see a shirt in a store that “looks cool.” Does it look cool just because you are specifically, naturally, without any outside influence, attracted to it, or because society has conditioned you into having a preference toward that type of clothing so as to be more acceptable?
By Ashlynn DiMatteo-Mans8 years ago in Humans
Transcendental
I wonder if people ever step outside of themselves and notice the inconsistencies between their words and their actions. We are all beings of imperfections. Nothing that we say or do will ever be perfect. We strive to achieve perfection in ourselves. Reaching for the best to make even the smallest steps in life seems like an extraordinary accomplishments. There is nothing wrong with reaching for greatness; but we have to remember that perfection is an illusion.
By Santia Desiree'8 years ago in Humans
A Grander View #MyWorstDate
Gold bottles with ace of spades logos sat cozy in buckets of ice on the table. A posh restaurant in Newark, Delaware allowed for the Lady and the Gentleman to enjoy a meal together for the second time. The Lady, redbone with curly blonde hair, wore a plain black dress. The Gentleman, dark-skinned, sported diamond cufflinks and a navy silk suit and tie. From a distance, it would appear as if the couple exchanged sweet nothings and words of affection. This vision veered from what actually occurred.
By Skyler Saunders8 years ago in Humans
