humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
Push or Pull
You brush shoulders with someone as you pass each other in the street. You have no idea who that person is or where they have been and you cannot possibly know what is going on in their head. They are fighting a battle you know nothing about.
Growth
I grew up in a small town, down the road from a brook, and a few miles from an abandoned farm. It is a place with its beauties, its quirks, and its little secrets. There are trees that appear to grow into the clouds, rivers that sing lullabies as you pass, and stories of vampires that run rampant in school hallways and around campsites at night. Like I said, beauties and quirks.
Katrina ThornleyPublished 7 years ago in HumansCohabitation Complications
London is not a city that indulges in permanence. Since moving here two years ago, I have had four jobs, countless best friends, and 13 housemates. Eighteen if you count the pets. Thirty if you count the mice we obliterated one week last May, in a massacre proudly chalked in on our living room blackboard (a giant thing found at the local dump) as "The Great Mouse Hunt of 2014."
Charlotte FoxPublished 7 years ago in HumansForgiveness
When I think about forgiveness, I think of a quote from the movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman by Tyler Perry. Myrtle: “When somebody hurts you they take power over you, if you don't forgive them then they keeps the power. Forgive him baby and after you forgive him, forgive yourself.”
Nadia TapiaPublished 7 years ago in HumansAll Mixed Up
As a mixed person, I struggle a lot with identity, especially as I come across as white-passing to many people. I feel that I am often encouraged to "pick a side" to be associated with. For instance, to choose white friends over Asian friends, adopt different mannerisms that would make a racial group more comfortable—to simply avoid expressing my other "half." The fact that others seem uncomfortable when I embrace my culture suggests I do not have the authority to choose which box I fall into, since, upon first glance, the "one-drop rule"* is applied and my box has been pre-determined.
Strangers
Have you ever felt isolated? People pass us all the time in the streets never once taking a second to look at who they pass. I’ve been told people are born to be good but what happens to them? Why do we start to care less and less for humans the older we get? What happens if we just stop and look out for another human being? I stop and look at the girl sitting down by herself. I walk towards her not knowing what will happen. What she will say or do. However, it’s worth it because we humans need to take time to talk to one another. She looks sad and depressed. I wonder what she’s going through.
Juan SabalaPublished 7 years ago in HumansHurricane Harvey's Biggest Story? The People
As Texas continues to be in crisis as a result of Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Harvey, I find I've been thinking a lot about friends and people I really admire.
Christina St-JeanPublished 7 years ago in HumansYou and I
The Patient Looking back, it seems as though life was always trying to tell me that I cannot actually have anything I want. My parents were separated. I saw my brother once year and sometimes not even that often. It may have been my age and lack of emotional intelligence that kept me from having the clarity that I do now. You cannot have anything you want in life. I mean you could but only if you chose to want something attainable like a car or a cheeseburger. I have always wanted an extremely intense way of living. I want the routine but with controlled chaos. I want to love hard and feel pain, but really only the lesser kind of pain that can always be outweighed by love. I want a simply complicated life. One that did not make me feel like I was drowning. Unfortunately, wishes aren’t made to be that specific. Keep it simple. Okay. Sure. Is running away from my family and friends simply enough for you, Universe? Rhetorical question. Please do not feel the need to answer that.
Grandpa WallacePublished 7 years ago in HumansTeachers: The Most Influential People on Earth!
There are a few interesting people who have always amazed me. One of the fascinating people on Earth seems to be hypnotists. They seem to ask for volunteers, put them to sleep, and make them cluck like ducks and stuff. Magicians seem to perform "magic and stuff." Clowns, to some extent, can make some people laugh. I used to truly believe this until I reached high school. Then, it all fell apart because I saw things for what they truly were. Hypnotists used plants, people who were paid to get up on stage and fake it. Magicians had hidden devices like keys in order to escape their handcuffs and other stuff. Clowns were a bit closer to believable because they were able to make most children laugh, but eventually scared adults away.
Maurice BernierPublished 7 years ago in HumansSelf-Awareness: Ask Yourself
I’ve been observing people, including close friends and family, for a while now. There are so many patterns when it comes to deep rooted issues and hardly anyone that I know talks about it. Perhaps I’m the first one out of my group and inner/outer circle to really figure it out? Or, maybe I’m assuming far more than I could ever imagine… But that’s the whole point of philosophy, right?
ayla.jenniferPublished 7 years ago in HumansBut, He Loves Me, Right?
You hear stories about domestic abuse and how the women stay for so long and the question is always asked: why did you stay? If you’ve never been in an abusive relationship, this question makes sense. Why would anyone stay with someone who hurts them, who makes them feel worthless? Why continue to put yourself through that torture when you could just leave? But abuse is never that simple and women stay for all kinds of reasons.
Blooming Lotus Innovations Inc.Published 7 years ago in HumansAnd Then I Was Told, "You Are a Feminist"
Among the many misinterpretations about feminism that I’ve come across on social media and in person, this was yet another bizarre example. I live with a mixture of people, some very clear advocates of feminism, some feminists who do not feel the need to explicitly mention their stance and some who say they are feminists because it’s “cool.” Allow me to explain. The first kind is women who are vocal about the discrimination faced by women, who will raise an eyebrow at every stereotypical comment about girls, and who are very happy to debate about why the ideology of feminism is important. In the second category fall people who will joke about gender roles in a sarcastic tone, will believe in equal rights, but will explain this principle only when there’s an obvious misunderstanding about its nature. The third kind, the peculiar kind of people are those who advocate themselves as feminists but still want their future wife to be home before they return from work. They say they want a working wife because they find it attractive. The first two kinds have been trying to understand this logic for a few months now, but have failed. So, I’ll try to write it down instead.
Tanvi PatelPublished 7 years ago in Humans