Forgetting to turn of the television before the 8 o'clock news played was a mistake, and I guess that's what most of us are afraid to do; expose our children to the truth. We chose not to because it's too raw and too real for their cotton candy dreams, so we give them the story book version instead. But what kind of story am I supposed to make up when what they see is another child their own age up there on that screen; bloodied, battered and bruised. It's a different story when they start to ask you questions like, what terrorism is and what that child is doing up there and Mummy what if I end up there and when will Daddy come home?
Home. Home. Home. The word starts to lose meaning the more you repeat it and you're slowly starting to lose yourself because all you come home to are empty rooms and an empty heart, but that's still better than an empty stomach, right? Silly girl, it's all in your head. Think of the less fortunate, think of those with real problems. Those who feed off of pity for breakfast and tears for dinner.
The world is falling apart. The world is falling apart and we are building casts for ourselves out of its remains instead of fixing the broken because we are too afraid to break. Too afraid to cut ourselves on the same glass we killed them with because of the God they believe in or the pigmentation of their skin, or all the unnecessary things we've punished them for not being able to control.
I am so sorry you had to be born into this age of terrorism, sexism, racism, and all the other -isms that god forbid I speak about in public because again it's too raw and too real for people to handle. Like sprinkling salt on a wound, only it's more like drowning you in it but let's keep it that way for the sake of simplicity and delicacy. I don't wanna overwhelm you with the truth, but don't you worry it only hurts the first few times and you'll be numb before you know it.
We paint over their bruises for show; sure, we'll offer solutions for the refugees. Women's rights? Why, most definitely. Terrorist groups? We're working on that. We all know that paint eventually fades. Women are still being oppressed, children still seeking shelter, and thousands of people are vanishing into dust, explosion after explosion.
They tell you the first time; the monsters are under your bed. Then honey, they're just in your head. And finally, when you fear others and then yourself, it is then you realise what you've become but now it's about what you can be. They don't call them monsters for no reason. If you have the power to destroy the world, you have the power to build it back up. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was the hatred this destruction is fuelled on, which leads me to;
Is hatred just the lack of love or is it merely a by-product of fear? Or perhaps it is the fear of loving, and by this, I mean the love and respect we should have for each other because I live in a world where feminism is just another 'f' word and disasters are relevant for about two days before another one settles in and god forbid I forget to turn the TV off again.
Trigger warning: violence. Trigger warning: gore. Trigger warning: real life events that may or may not traumatise you. Trigger warning: too real. Violence has become our second language and the more we practise it, the more fluent we become.
The Asian lady working night shifts at the corner store, is your sister. The African American man who plays guitar every Monday afternoon at the coffee shop, is your brother. The Swedish girl who braids your hair on the bus ride home, is your sister. And before that, you are a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist, African American, Middle Eastern, and many other labels that you let define you and shape you. You are a human worthy of respect, affection and opportunities.
I'm not trying to change the world. I'm just trying to get you to open your eyes and look at the world without a filter; without FEAR. To open your arms a little wider and be at peace with one another, regardless of any label society has imprinted onto your skin, but you are MORE than just your skin.
