What do I stand for?

The moment we cease to hold each other,

the moment we break faith with one another,

the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.

-James Baldwin

 

This is a question I've asked myself a lot, and it's come up more and more the older I get. What do I stand for? When is it okay to laugh, and when do I have to speak my mind? How far am I willing to let people push me before I draw the line?

The answer, right now--the answers are always changing--is people. I believe in people. I believe in being gentle and honorable even when you aren’t treated with the gentleness or honor you deserve.  I believe in loving each other. I believe in being kind.   

At my school we're always searching for the capital T Truth, always arguing and debating about the differences in reality and morality and perception. Philosophers have done this for years. And I've decided that I don't want to be a philosopher: I already know my Truth. The world can be cold and uncaring, and for all we know we are the only life forms in a giant, cosmic universe that is big beyond our comprehending. We have no undeniable proof of heaven or hell or rebirth. It is possible that this single, tiny life, short in the scheme of our planet and miniscule in the scheme of the galaxy, is all we will ever have. And we need to hold on to each other, every other being that shares this rocky world, because it’s so easy to get lost in the odds that mount against us. We need to learn how to treat each other with kindness and gentleness, and maybe we can make this the Heaven we're all searching for.
 
Amanda