And They Say...

They say that we are the most intelligent species
They say that we are smart, compassionate and caring
But they speak without thinking
They say what they are but don't listen to what they are not
They believe that they are pure hearted yet they dare say that a dog is filthy
They say that a dog is ferocious, wild, needy and stupid
And they say and they say and they say
Yet they fail to mention the millions of lives that dogs change everyday
That dogs help heal the sick and bring joy to the elders
That dogs teach all humans how to live and how to love
That dogs are selfless, calm, rich and happy
That dogs can dedicate their lives to helping someone in exchange for affection
While we sit and fight for bread, power and money
We dare compare ourselves and even claim to be better than the very beings that serve their lives to protect
We are the species that can kill its own kind for greed
We are the species that harms due to an indifference of opinion
We are the species that discriminates and hates more than we can ever love
And yet they say, we are compassionate
They say we are smart, if intelligence justifies the thousands of killings and tortures from around the world Then I wish to be stupid
For being stupid - like a dog is the most peaceful way to live
They say we are caring, yet we barely acknowledge our own neighbors
They say that we are pure and clean, yet we can wash our hands with blood and feel no remorse
And they dare say that a dog is filthy
They say that dogs need humans to survive
Yet they don`t realize that we are learning the most valuable life lessons from dogs
We have learned to love, care, live selflessly, be patient, be loyal, to love unconditionally, to accept ourselves, to enjoy the journey (and I am just getting started..)
And they say that all this is not relevant in today's world, when the lessons that dogs teach us are what matter most in life
And they say and they say and they say.
But they will never understand because they are only humans.

The Power of a Single Rose

A head of brown hair, surrounded by roots of white and gray

Each strand tells the story of the pain and sacrifice of a mother in distress

A bed of wrinkles upon a sea of soft, radiant, illuminating skin

Each wrinkle tells a fascinating tale of courage and beauty

You are the stem that holds each pedal and each leaf together to form the perfect flower

As the pedals begin to grow, the leaf flees to fight passionately to save the soil that keeps you alive

For years he has put his life at risk, to shield you, to protect you, to save you

And you, you are left to care for two small pedals while you patiently wait for your better half to return home. 

Unknowing if you will continue this journey alone

The time was ticking slowly, and as painful as it was, you somehow remained hopeful

And though the winds were rough, and the rain was hard, you planted your roots firmly and remained strong and faithful

Until the day he returned home, and from then, your leafs grew greener and more vibrant than ever

Your soil was saved and your pedals continued to bloom as time flew by

With every passing day, your pedals grew more, and more, and more,

Forming a garden of devotion, loyalty, faith and love in an unimaginable and beautiful way

Looking down at the small garden that has resulted from your strength, sacrifice and courage, you have achieved a field of diverse beauty beneath you

And as the small flowers begin to blossom, we look up at you with tears in our eyes and pride in our hearts, as you have always been our inspiration and the beauty beneath our existence

The Cry of the Young

As I spent some quality time with myself last night, gathering my thoughts together and pondering upon my life, I began to realize a problem that is potentially destroying the young people of today. From the day that we are born, we have been completely victimized and manipulated by society and the expectations that have been implanted in our minds. We are constantly told what to do, how to think and how to feel. We have been taught to shield our emotions and to hide our feelings in order to show our strength.

The more I kept trying to understand life and society the more enraged I got, because I began to realize that my worth and my value in society has been immensely undermined. I have become a victim of a society that has set high standards and expectations (that are often not realistic) for people of all ages. We have all been manipulated by this system. We are all victims.

From the day that we have graced the earth with our existence, we have been taught to go to school in order to be educated and above all, to make something of ourselves. We have been taught that a university degree will guide us in our career and help us live the 'American dream'. Society has taught us that we can make change in the world and that with education and determination, we can and will be the future of tomorrow. Therefore, we subconsciously and stupidly assume that at age 25, our life will be like Barbie's dream world; married with a dream job, driving convertible cars, living in a luxurious house with two dogs and children. We are set to believe that by age 25, we will have it all figured out and our futures are assured.

This sounds wonderful and all- except that this is the kind of scenario that would happen to people like Paris Hilton. In the real world, the real harsh world, at age 25, you are clueless as to what you want to do with your life and your life has barely even started.

The job market today has dropped immensely and finding a job is like finding a needle in a hay stack, it's not impossible, but it's incredibly difficult. Why? Because in order to find a job, we need experience, in order to get experience we need a job. It is a never-ending vicious cycle that is controlling the young people of today.

So as we all play the real life game of survivor, we are on a mission to chase our dreams and to keep our ambitions alive by finding a job that will recognize our true potential. However- we start to lose faith in ourselves because of the higher authority that continuously reminds us that we are inexperienced, young, or simply not good enough.

Finding a dream job has become something that you read in fairy tales and novels because reality is a cruel and unkind teacher. At age 25, we are struggling to find jobs and to be happy. For some of us, putting food on the table is easier said than done. As a result, we settle for much less than we deserve in order to survive because life is nothing but a game of survival.

We are humans and though we are young, extremely undervalued and underestimated, we continue to dream, and to be optimistic. We continue to keep our spirits and ambitions alive by having hope, but hope- hope can only get us so far.

How many times have we heard, 'invest in the children of today because they are the future of tomorrow'? But how can we depend on the future of tomorrow when the future of tomorrow are not given a chance today?

So, what do we, the future of tomorrow have to offer?  A lot more than you will ever know, if only we are given a chance to prove it today.