Asparagus

Perseverence is a virtue. But you can't just survive, you must thrive.

We need emotion in life. We need an open-mind, and open heart, and a willingness to be different. We need to be fearless of change. We need to be fearless of discomfort. We need to have a positive outlook. With these simple standards, we can blossom.

"People are like asparagus." At a JSA election, one person ran unopposed and the nominator gave a speech resembling people to vegetables. But it's so true. We are like plants. If we have the basic necessities, food, sleep, exercise, etc., then we can grow. But through love we can bloom.

So stop inhibiting yourself through your prejudices, fears, and lies. Stop being someone you want everyone else to be. Stop satisfying the other people around you, and live for yourself. I'm not saying we need to ignore all our friends, but we need to stop doing things for fear of breaking some societal obligation. Anyways, we are not exactly like plants. We can control our destiny, not like plants clinging to life towards the sunlight. But we can only do so if we can unroot ourselves from the comfortable soils of preconceived notions, closed-mindedness, and comfort. We must exit our shells of safety.

Humans are not clams. Humans are not plants. Humans are not turtles. We have an amazing ability, a neo-frontal cortex, that makes us different from every other animal. And with this god-given gift, we should not waste it by tarnishing our minds with frivilous fears and petty judgments. Live outside the box, live outside that mindset. Wake up tomorrow and appreciate the gloomy darkness or the bright sunny sky. Go through your day excited for the adventure, disappointed at the C on the test or the argument with the friend, but end your frustrations within that moment. Gather your hope and look at the sky or laugh at a funny moment from the past. Draw a picture, jog a trail, do some yoga. Be different. Be hopeful. Take in the frustration and release it into the winds of the past. And take in the breezes flowing by, accepting the future for what it is, happy to be alive, hopeful for harmony.

It's a long tunnel I have entered, but I have more hope instilled within me than I've had in ages.

"Do You Feel" - The Rocket Summer