A Tiresome Tirade?

Every day you wake up, get dressed, and go about your daily lives. We smile and laugh—sure, we all have a few day to day issues, but those are solved somehow—someway. As you walk to your job or class at school, you can’t help but slide your eyes all around to survey your surroundings. Then you spy it, the dark little shadow that the sun never got around to shining upon. It is the proverbial “dark-side” that most feel doesn’t apply to them. Well, I’m sorry to say…it does.

We go through life knowing that if it’s happened to someone else—it could most definitely happen to you, so we shed the problem like an unwanted outer skin. We ignore the boy or girl screaming into the night as the blade—or whatever else soothes the savage beast—sinks its fangs deep into post-smooth skin. Many scorn these individuals, saying, “Those are some messed up fuckers, why don’t they talk to somebody?” or “God, why do we keep talking about this?”. Simple, because no one seems to listen and everybody has got an answer—but nobody seems to view it from our (the teen/the young adult) position.

Is it really the music’s fault? Is it really because they want the attention? Is it really the parent’s problem? How can a person really know when all everyone seems to do is point their sharp fingers at one another? Life is full of questions that get kicked at and tossed into the trash bin. We’ve all got opinions and we’ve all got answers, but you know what? We’re still waiting! Waiting for someone to come down and tell us, “We’ll never leave you behind.” But what of those who glare angrily at the bright lights of life? Should a topic be hated because it implies that in today’s “shiny” demeanor there are some that continuously hurt themselves? Those that must constantly endure taunts, bullying, abuse, depression, and isolation—those naming a few out of MANY?

So stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Listen, learn, and most of all support those that need it. Writing inspires, dancing releases, and music holds you upon its shoulders…which is all the more reason to try and be that “heroic” friend, or heck, that random person who grabbed you by the arm and helped you to stand again. So as you stare at that all too stereo-typical “shadow” wondering if they’re worth a glance, remember, they may or may not be there next time.