From the Mouth of the Tigress

These words are not mine. They are the words of an incredible friend who, at this point and probably to this day, understands more than I ever have.

No one said friendship was easy (and if they did, they were lying through their teeth). It can hurt like heck. But there's something important in hurt: you know that if you're hurting, you still care about something. Sometimes hurt means purpose, or maybe a need for change. Life's full of hurt because we're changing all the time. Life's full of apathy because sometimes we forget who we are. Never forget who or what is important to you. In any relationship, with your parents... with anybody.

There are a lot of mean people out there. There are a few nice people out there. And there's a small, slight flicker of GREAT people out there. Don't let the good people-- and especially the great people-- you've got, go. 

It's okay to feel negative emotions. 
Read that again, please. 
It's okay to feel negative emotions. People act like it's not but it is, because the world is full of bad things to react to. Anger's okay, and fear's okay, and frustration's okay, and sadness is okay. But anger and fear and frustration and sadness ruling you is not okay. At all.

God's not standing outside the ring. He's in the ring, moving me. He's my Dad. And my Dad's gonna fight with me and for me and through me until I fall over dead, and then my eternal spirit's gonna fight with him and through him and for him. And we'll fight together and rest together and cry together because it's a relationship of Spirit and spirit together, not Spirit and body separate. You are never alone.   It's a heck of a ride when you live without somebody on hand to care about you. But it's worse when you give up caring about everybody else. Fear is a good sign here. It means you haven't given up. You're born and forged to fight your way to the top of your dreams. Hold on like heck.

Two Worlds Away

It seems like there are two ways to look at the world. Black or white. "No," you say. "There are all sorts of greys, all sorts of middle grounds. It isn't just black or white. It can't be that." But it is.

You can see the degeneration, the corruption, working its way through society. You can see the side of culture where drugs and sex are lifted up like gods. You can see the highest suicide rates in history. You can see the teens who've dropped out of school. You can see world poverty. You can see the pain and the suffering and the wars and the trials and it's black. You can see the disinterest in learning among children, the inexcusable immaturity even in adults, the disobedience and rebellion of the rising generation. You can see the economy taking another dip. You can see the government falling and other nations rising up as potential world powers and you know it's not just pessimism speaking because this is real. The statistics are real. The issues are real. The people are real. You know them, you see them. You are one of them. This is the black. The trouble. The darkness.             

On the other hand, you can see the hope, the resurgence of courage in this time. You can see the intelligence and potential in the youth. You can see culture as a way of passing on creativity and the arts you can see the joy in children and their love of life and learning. You can see the love and the generosity of others. You can see the incredible development of others and take joy in the way they think and act. You can see the peace and the prosperity and the happiness and it is white. You can see the potential for great leadership among the coming generation. You can see the bright light not only at the end of the tunnels but along the sides, illuminating the path. You can see the successes of others, the developments in technology and science and medicine. You can see the ideals that made us strong and you know it's not just optimism speaking because this is real. The solutions are real. The goodness is real. The people are real. You know them, you see them. You are one of them. This is the white. The anticipation. The light.                                                                                                                                               

We view our present, our past, our future, in black or white. No, it's not set in one view or the other, but it is there. Sometimes I find myself thinking things aren't all that bad. That the world is better off than people make it out to be. Other times I see beyond these propped up versions of reality and realize just how far decayed it really is. But it's not just one right and one wrong. It's both. It's black and white mingling together like water and oil, together but never combining. Never in the same view. Sometimes certain issues are white and others are black. But never grey. Nothing is grey. Maybe the gray is just an illusion- the flickering of white and black going so quickly back and forth that we can hardly realize they're separate. Black and white. Water and oil. Two ways to view the world and they cannot seem to coincide. There's always more of one or the other. More white. More black. More of that mixed up concoction called Grey that we drink up to make ourselves feel balanced. To feel like the hope stems from a problem and is therefore purposeful. To feel like there these problems are temporary and maybe things aren't so bad as we think. Black and white and synthetic greys. Unavoidable. Inescapable. And most certainly part of being Human.