Advice for hard times #2 (2011)
(By Jafira)

I could write a seven page biography of how awful my life was and how I learned to get over it etc, but you don't need the patronizing and nobody has the time to read all that. I'll keep it short. Growing up I had a speech impediment, came from a poor family and had a learning disability, I was physically weak and broke all my bones all the time, always injured, death would have been a release from the pain. I was bullied every day for my injuries, speech impediment, shyness and just simply being a loser, I had no talents, no real friends, and no true purpose. Eventually I had a near death and got a second chance.

After that, I guess I learned to embrace life, I changed my attitude and worked with what I had. I changed my appearance, changed my grades, changed my friends, and changed my life, it took several years and to be honest my life still kind of sucks. But I strive to see the good in it and make the best of what I have.

Not too long ago a close friend of mine was living in the desert with nothing, regardless, she kept her spirits up and never gave up, she dug herself out of that rut and has a good life now. I am fairly poor, but I have a home and I am thankful for what I have, there is always someone worse off, it is the attitude that makes the difference. You've got to try to find the good in your life, only you can choose if this world is a prison or a paradise. It is the attitude in which you perceive it that matters in the end.

I will confess, we live in a world controlled by money, politicians and those who have the wealth or power to dictate reality to the ignorant masses, education is just training to be a slave and society has been trained to shun art and beauty in exchange for rampant materialism and self indulgence, differences and weakness are disdained and nobody cares whether you or I die in the cold, so long as it does not effect their latest media distraction. This world is by no means perfect and never will be.

But if you choose to see only the bad (and at times it seems that is all there really is) you will miss the wonders of this world and this life. As individuals we all have a choice to choose whether to be conformed to the ways of this world, or make our own path and vision of life. Make your own future.

I know my place in this hellhole, but I strive to work around it. I doodle my dragons at work and on break, I explore the wilderness when off of work, I listen to music whenever I can, I admire every tree and every blade of grass, I marvel at the technological innovations and artistic achievements of mankind and I pridefully battle to keep true to my beliefs and the freedom of my draconic spirit(s).

As for why we are forced to be here? I don't know. In my prior dragon lives I existed as feral dragons, an animal. As a feral entity one doesn't have the capability of understanding the beauty of life and without hardships I guess maybe you can not properly appreciate or learn from the good things in life? I don't know. But when I was a dragon I just slept, hunted, ate, mated and died. It sounds like paradise but even those lives had their hardships, it seems the very act of existence results in learning and overcoming obstacles. Some creatures have it easier, but there is never a perfect or fair existence.

As a human on a technologically advanced planet I can at least experience the wonders of the world around me and understand its complexities. With sentience I can comprehend anything without limitation, I can imagine, I can explore outside of instinct, I can question, learn, love and hate.

It is admittedly a hard and painful life, it can be unfair on this world and the best that I can do is dissociate from it and work to live my own life and path. But when it is all said and done, this life as a human has personally been the greatest spiritual journey that I could have ever chosen - no wild beast could experience in a lifetime what I now may experience in a single day, this world is amazing, just strive to slowly change the way you look at it, little things here and there. Attitude is everything.