Crossroad

Here is another crossroad. One path will lead to the perfect destination, the other to the end of a dead end. Where you are now, define who you are now. Where you will be, define who you will be. And then, who will you be?

Where you stand right now, is a dream come true. A place you thought you would never be. So you embrace it. At least for now. But you see changes ahead. Changes you might not like. But then again, what changes do you like?

Spotlight

Life is a grand theatrical stage, and WE are the performers.
All of us. None are destined to be the audiences. We are all performers.
We perform for other performers who haven't had the chance to perform. Not yet.
Soon, they'll perform for us while we sit and wait. Waiting for the perfect time for our next performance.

The problem is, every stage has a spotlight. Shining bright to our head. Lining every inch of our body, creating a magnificent silhouette of beauty and perfection. And we LOVE the spotlight. Oh, how we are eagerly waiting for it to shine upon us. How we will sit in jealousy every time it's shining everyone else. That spotlight. The feel of being the center of everything. Every extras, every property, every little scene are revolving around us. Depend on us. Our single move will change the whole play. Oh, how we love to be recognized. To be thanked, to be worshiped.

Standing in the center of the stage, feeling the warmth of the light. Doing everything we want to do. No one to tell us no. The only thing we'll see is our only perfection. Our only decisions. Our self. Because that white light that gives us the power to play God, leaves us blind in the process. We can't see who else is out there. We can't see who are cheering when we fall or booing when we stand. We can't differ a throwing knife from a helping hand. The only thing we'll see is the light itself. Shining bright and white.

Branded

As you may know, I'm a bit of a movie freak. I watched a lot of movies and TV series of all genre (preferably thriller, :D). This time, I want to write about a particular scene of a famous 2002 movie called The Pianist. In short, it's about the life of a Jewish Pianist (portrayed by Adrien Brody) in the middle of German invasion. You may have heard in your history class before about holocaust or Nazi. There are actually several great films about the holocaust, one of which is The Pianist, the other is Schindler's List, and another movie that you may have seen not too long ago is Inglorious Bastards.

To me, the holocaust is a horrible tragedy and people need to see the real conditions during that time so that nobody would want to do such thing ever again. The way the Germans treated Jewish people really got me mad. Some of their acts are really violent, inhuman, or pure evil. If you watch one of these movies and feel nothing, perhaps you should see a therapist to check if you have psychopathic tendencies.

Okay, back to what I was about to write. The movie portrayed the life of Jewish people in Poland. During that time, German government published an article in the newspaper about branding the Jewish people so that they are known among the crowd. They were ordered to wear a white linen on their right sleeves with a Star of David symbol sewn to it.

Because of this brand, Jewish people were easily discriminated. They weren't allowed to eat in restaurants, use public transports, even walk on the sidewalk. In the end, the Germans built a closed housing complex and put all Jewish people inside so that the city became Jewish-free. This complex was what caused the rebellion later on.

This maybe is a movie-plot, a story written by someone and then put nicely in big screen. But this is really what happened. Years ago when the Germans think that they are part of superior race and that everyone else are beneath them. Sadly, in this era there are still some people who think they are above everybody. Aryan Brotherhood is an example although they are no longer focus in racism but more in the criminality to obtain more money.

They say we should learn from history, and we did. We can't tell people to sewn a white linen with distinctive symbol like what the Germans did. But we learn to brand people in more subtle way. We meet new people almost everyday. We see, and we brand them by the way they look, the way they walk, the way they smell, the way they talk. These days, our brands are not as simple as a distinctive symbol. We brand with words inside our head. Handsome. Beautiful. Smart. Elitist. Egotist. Religious. Liar. Et cetera, et cetera.

Are we better than the Germans during holocaust? Most definitely! We don't brand people to be killed later on, we brand them following our specific criteria. Then, we decide whether or not we want to know them, to be friends with them, to help them when in need. What I'm saying is that we can't stop branding people, and we'll definitely be branded by those people around us. I just hope that the brands we're giving to people will not come and bite us in the ass later.

The Art Of Giving

There's a story in the Bible about an old widow who gives all of her money to the church. This old widow only has 2 copper coins on her, and she put all of it away in the offerings box. Jesus then called out his disciples and stated that this widow has given more than everyone else, because she gave an offerings out of her poverty. Here's the exact quotes from Marc 12: 41-44 of World English Bible:

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much. ⁴² A poor widow came, and she cast in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrant coin. ⁴³ He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury, ⁴⁴ for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”

Now, I'm not much of a religious person. I'm not even a religious Christian. But I went to Catholic schools and I listened to many stories in the Bible. This one is almost my favorite.  I was amazed by the sacrifices the widow did. From other version of the Bible (I forgot which), it is written that all the rich people who gave a large amount of offerings were whispering in disgrace by what the widow did because she only put 2 coppers. It happens way too often in our everyday lives. Most people think if they have given certain amount of money than that would be enough. Sure, money helps and it's good to share it to others in need. For some people who don't have anything to give, they still can give all their might, their time and their strength to help others.

To me, this particular story is engraved in my heart so that I can always give without the hope of accepting anything in return. And I'm still trying..

Bullying and The Act of Suicide

I am subscribing to a YouTube series called Teens React. The show is incredible and the concept is really great. Basically, they film a bunch of teens’ reactions to certain events or person like YouTube artists (NigaHiga, Pewdiepie, etc.), Gangnam Style, Newton school shootings, U.S. president’s election, and the one I’m about to share, Amanda Todd’s Suicide Video Note.

See more of their videos, here:Teens React Videos

Amanda Todd was a 15 year old student who committed suicide because of a cyber-bullying back in 2012. She posted the video a month before her suicide, it’s a black and white video with her standing and flipping papers containing her story.

Please watch her story.

See Teens React on Amanda Todd's story here: Teens React on Amanda Todd

Bullying has been an international issue for as long as I can remember. Typical school bullying involves physical and/or verbal abuse which then causes the victims to withdraw socially. Victims of bullying usually keep to themselves mostly because they feel embarrassed to tell anybody that they’re being bullied. I once saw an episode of Oprah which features parents of bullied children who ended up committing suicide. One of the parents didn't even notice that their child was being bullied. They thought that it was a usual teenager’s prank. It’s so sad to hear that.

A bully or a prank?

Teenager or even some adults have a tendency to pull pranks. To me, the idea of a prank is a simple joke played among friends to trigger some laughter. You pull a prank by putting a fart cushion on a chair, patch a “Call me stupid.” sticker on the back, or hide each other’s phones. It’s funny but it doesn't damage any of the participants in any way.

Bully on the other hand, brings laughter only to the bully. The victims feel helpless, tortured, which then lead to depression. A teenager with a depression is the perfect suicide recipe. Many people or parents don’t realize the importance of standing up against bullying. People always think that bullying is a part of growing up. Well, pranks are part of growing up. You can't have friends without having to prank each other. Bullying IS NOT a part of growing up. It's an issue that has to be dealt with before it's too late.

The danger of cyber-bullying

Being a victim of school bullying is bad, but being a victim of cyber-bullying is thousand times worse. When you're being bullied at school, you can probably find other friends outside your campus. Also, not all students on your campus will be participating in the act of your bullying. Some students probably don't know you, or they just don't care.

In this era, almost all of the students join in at least one social media. That's when cyber-bullying really affect your social life. People who don't know you personally, may be your facebook friend or twitter follower. The previously school-limited bullying become a social phenomena. Everyone in your social circle knows.

Victims of cyber-bullying feel depressed and under pressure because they think that they have nobody to turn to. Practically everyone in their social life become their bullies, one way or another. They feel cornered and alone, which is why lots of them can only think that death is the perfect way out. No more pain, no more embarrassment, no more pressure.

Be the survivors

I'm not agreeing that suicide is the right answer. I'm merely stating the fact that these victims do believe so. If one of your friend is being bullied, please be there for them. At the very least acknowledge them. These victims are feeling helpless and alone every minute of every day. Being acknowledged can reduce the pain they're feeling.

If you're a victim of bullying, talk to your parents or your best friends. Go somewhere crowded, take a vacation out of town, or enjoy a walk in the park. Minimize the time when you're alone. If all else fails, contact suicide support groups or suicide hotlines.

Read this link to find out more: Suicide Is Not Chosen

Watch this video to find out that you're not alone: