humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
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
It Wasn't As Bad As...
I have never been lucky in love; I chalk it up to mainly something wrong with my face — maybe too big of a nose, or my hair just hates to stay in place despite the constant brushing. Maybe there is something truly wrong with my personality. But whatever it is, the fact remains that I have never been one to dabble in romance.
By Kylie Nebeker8 years ago in Humans
Home
"Home is where the heart is." That was the only lesson I ever retained from my years at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Our instructors were telling us about Chopin, who had grown up in Warsaw but moved to Paris. When he died, his body was buried in Paris, but his heart was buried in Warsaw. I don't know if that fact is true, it's been so long since I last heard it and there's always conflicting information and facts, but that was the only thing I ever remembered from theory class.
By Aven Jensen8 years ago in Humans
