Honesty is the best policy...

...I think not. For years, I’ve believed in that statement and thought of it as some sort of great motto everyone should believe in. Yet, it’s turned out to hurt me more than do any good. People don’t want to hear the truth; they want to hear fabricated, candy-coated lies so they can feel ‘good’ about themselves. In friendships, you often take an unwritten and unspoken oath of this so called pledge of ‘honesty’ and to some, less than others, know that it complies to them at all times. They do their very best to be truthful, to be ‘honest’. Unfortunately, since you’ve taken this oath, you have to be notified of some of the unspoken rules:

1) Always be truthful

2) Be honest when one is questioning the other to how their appearance looks

3) Never be truthful in situations that actually matter, because frankly people don’t want to hear it.

4) Always be truthful

It’s funny how when things actually matter, human beings decide to shut themselves from the truth. Is it because they are too blindsided by the false impression of their own reality? Or is it because they are too afraid to face the truth, simplify because of the fact that they are cowards.

I’ve dwelled upon this question for quite a while now and seem to not be able to come to a clear conclusion. Maybe it’s because, somewhere in my sub conscience, I am one of those who like to hear these ‘candy-coated’ lies. Maybe it is human nature that drives us to want to shield ourselves from the truth, from the honesty, because the corruption of this world has led us into pure denial.

Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind.~Austin O'Malley

The meaning of life...

A letter we had to write for class.

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Dear Grandma,

How are you? I am good. I miss you a lot. Yesterday I was sitting by the big pear tree on the hill with Torrie, and she asked me why we were here. I said to her that we were here because; we were hiding from Adam who was trying to give us cooties. Then she said no, she didn’t ask why we were by the pear tree. She meant, why we were here... alive. I said to her that I didn’t know, but my grandma would because she’s so old and she knows everything. So grandma, why are we here? What is the meaning of life?

Love Sydney.

I read this last letter from Sydney with great difficulty. It’s been almost 23 years since her death. She would have been 29 years old this coming Friday. I took the letter and gently smoothed it with my rough wrinkled hands, as the tears slowly tumbled down my face. “What is the meaning of life?” she asked. Such a tender age and the mind of a philosopher. I had no idea how to answer it and now that I do, she is no longer here amongst us...

All my life I’ve tried to run away from the people who love me the most. And when time came they realized it and stopped chasing me. To me they were like parasites, trying to make me ill. I thought that they were trying to bring me down. So, I ran. I knew that if I had stayed amongst them I would suffocate and eventually witness my own death. I set out on my great expedition in the hope of trying to find some meaning to my pity life. As I searched for the means of my own existence, I had realized that the meaning of life is searching for the meaning. It was impossible! How could that be?, I would think to myself. What would this search bring me to? However, between all those questions, all I could think about was them.

I decided to return back home, though it was too late. They were all gone, just like I had left them before. Years had passed, and my search for them grew more and more restless. They were nowhere to be found. That’s when it hit me. The meaning of life is not searching for the meaning, but to realize that the meaning lies within the people surrounding you. Without them you are nothing but a lifeless body, moving through the bustling crowds of the world. That is what I was, that is what I am...shattered and lifeless.

If Sydney were to read this, she would have seen a different side of her Grandma. She would have grown up surrounding herself with people who love her. If Sydney were to read this, she would know what the true meaning of life is.

Sincerely,

Rose- Amber Edwards

Happy New Year!

Just before we ring in the new year, I thought it would nice to write my last post of the year.
I feel that when you start off the year fresh everything is so much more better. You feel happier and have a peace of mind.

Anyways, just a little piece of advice I thought I'd throw out at you guys:D

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

And the Cycle Continues...

Sometimes I wonder why life's journey is always going around a cycle. See you start off as nothing, bask in the glory of success, fall flat on your head, and eventually become nothing again. Thus continuing your once gone over cycle. Mhm... why can't we just stay within the glory? Why does there have to be a down point in life? Though there's no point in asking those questions because the cycle will keep on going even if I like it or not. So why is it that I'm still questioning it? I guess I just need answers to things that still bother me. Until then, let the cycle continue...

Essay

What are Memories?

All living creatures on this planet have one thing in common. This familiar quality consists of thoughts and particular ideas from the past. This feature allows us to relive the past. These are memories. Memories are not merely moments of your life, but they are also moments which have made you into the person you are today. Without these precious memories, your identity would not exist.

Memories are moments from our past. These moments may or may not hold significance to us. “We do not remember days; we remember moments.” This statement by Cesare Pavese from, “The Burning Brand’, holds much truth. We are meant to remember moments because our brains cannot hold all that information. It’s great that we are able to look back, but sadly the truth is that these memories are not the exact replica of the past. When I was about five years old I had the unfortunate pleasure of fracturing my left arm. My cousins and I were on the floor sitting in a circle, minding our own business after a tiring game of ‘ring around the rosy’. The boys thought it’d be fun to mock us girls, so they got into the middle of the circle and started ringing around the rosy. Tragically when they all ‘fell down’, they fell on me. I learned a very valuable lesson that day: I should always, I repeat ALWAYS, keep distance from my rambunctious cousins! That is pretty much all I remember about that horrific incident.

As I become older and wiser, I’ve realized the importance of these memories. I feel that our memories help us stay in touch with our roots. Memories are what make us, memories are what break us. They show you what kind of person you were and what kind of person you are now. I was like a fall leaf, something shy and quiet. Though it’s that memory which made me realize fall leaves will eventually rustle very loudly in the wind.

What would happen if we didn’t have any memories? As human beings would we be able to function as a society? We’d have no idea where we came from or where we are headed. We would have to rely on our instincts! Is this how people with memory loss feel? To look back and see nothing but blurs, it all sounds very tragic. When I went to India three years ago, half the time there was taken up by visiting people. I’m pretty sure we went to every house in that village. That day, my mom and I had one more house left to visit. We knocked on the door. No answer. We knocked again. No answer. We knocked the third time, and upon hearing the silence we realized no one was there. As we walked off the porch, a very old woman came out behind us. Immediately after seeing her, my mother was in tears. She went up to the old woman and hugged her numerous times. The hugs were not reciprocated. We didn’t end up going inside, just said our goodbye’s from the porch. Later, I found out from my mom that the old woman used to be like a second mother to her. Sadly, she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She didn’t remember my mom at all. More importantly she didn’t remember who she was. She couldn’t identify herself. Our identities rely on our memories, our memories complete us.

These memories are sometimes forgotten. These memories are mostly remembered. These memories teach us lessons. These memories last us a lifetime. These memories we will take to our grave.

Long time...

Wow, it has been quite a long while since I've posted here, over two months now. There's just too much going on right now and I felt that I needed to let it out of my system before I completely combust! So where to begin?

Shall we start off with the agonizing and torturing school work I've been given? Well thank God I'm not alone in this because my friends are suffering with me too :] What's even worse is the fact that we are entering the much feared summatives and exam weeks right after the winter break. Though we start working on the summatives from now. What luck...

Speaking of winter break, I just can't wait for it. Not that I'm doing anything special but I'll get to finally RELAX! And yes I can't wait for all the Christmas sales. Oh how I love the holiday seasons for it's half off sales. It makes me feel so relaxed just thinking about it.

Another thing that's kept me busy is I guess DRAMA! Wow, there's a lot of that going on right now. Mhm, I'm really not going to expand on that because well it's personal matters and I'm not completely over them yet. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about all these different things.

Well I guess that's about it. Jeez, when you write it all out it seems like nothing, wish reality was like that. Alas, we wish for things we could never have... Anyways, I should get back to my English homework.

Will post again when I feel like it :)

Eid Mubarak!

Have a wonderful and fabulous Eid everyone!