I Didn't Write This in School
So,
let me start in the classroom,
stuck in a chair
without a hall pass
and the clock in the corner
of my eye.
That's where this idea begins.
There's some things I learned in school.
I learned
how to line up in order of height.
That MLA format has a hanging indent,
and 9/11 was the pinnacle of terrorism.
That mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
That there are only two parties.
And irony trumps all.
I learned about chlorophyll
and about right triangles.
But there are things they never tell you
when you're in school.
Maybe some things
they don't want you to know, or care if you do.
Like picking up ants on expensive stationary
just to move them outside.
Like never touching the beautiful flower
and keeping the fallen one in water.
Like trying to take out the window
when a bird hits it and dies.
Sad things, and scary things,
that maybe we should know.
That life isn't measured with semesters,
and that time is a man-made idea
meant to prompt schedules
of a pleasure-controlled society,
who can't go for a walk now
because they have to work tonight
so they can pay the cable bill.
That appeal to authority is a logical fallacy
and that the true teacher of the heart
is adversity.
There is such a thing as trauma-based propaganda
and there is no legally binding definition of terrorism.
That six million Jews were killed in the holocaust,
But twice that number of Native Americans died,
on the soil where we stand.
That the very land those Natives lived on
is now riddled with oil rigs.
That the U.S. is almost 17 billion dollars in debt.
The very existence of the TSA is unconstitutional.
That Kristen Stewart is not actually required to smile
when being objectified.
That the government can take away your home
whenever it wants.
We say we love our soldiers.
So why has it been estimated
that a third of homeless men are veterans?
I've learned some other things too.
That you can walk to the park without mom's permission.
That even if animals don't have souls
they can still be your best friend.
That solar energy has no harmful side-effects
but more are added to pharmaceuticals every year.
I've learned that no matter how ignorant we are,
herbicides will always run off into the water.
And above all,
I've learned to resist the idea
that people themselves are bad for the planet.
No. We have the ability to protect and cherish.
I've learned that people are to be loved
and never hated.
If we hate ourselves,
how does that solve any problem?
The entire Human population of Earth
can fit into the continental U.S.
with 1/3 acre per person.
That is enough land to feed a family of four;
but only if kept sustainable.
So here's what that means:
take care of the Earth.
Take care of each other.
Wake up in the morning
with a plan to revere life.
The power of love isn't like the power of money.
Love is selfless, love is kind.
Love does not need to own something to exist,
instead it exists in the thoughtfulness
of taking the time -- the world's pressing time --
to smile at someone
simply because they are a fellow human.
I didn't learn that in school.
let me start in the classroom,
stuck in a chair
without a hall pass
and the clock in the corner
of my eye.
That's where this idea begins.
There's some things I learned in school.
I learned
how to line up in order of height.
That MLA format has a hanging indent,
and 9/11 was the pinnacle of terrorism.
That mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
That there are only two parties.
And irony trumps all.
I learned about chlorophyll
and about right triangles.
But there are things they never tell you
when you're in school.
Maybe some things
they don't want you to know, or care if you do.
Like picking up ants on expensive stationary
just to move them outside.
Like never touching the beautiful flower
and keeping the fallen one in water.
Like trying to take out the window
when a bird hits it and dies.
Sad things, and scary things,
that maybe we should know.
That life isn't measured with semesters,
and that time is a man-made idea
meant to prompt schedules
of a pleasure-controlled society,
who can't go for a walk now
because they have to work tonight
so they can pay the cable bill.
That appeal to authority is a logical fallacy
and that the true teacher of the heart
is adversity.
There is such a thing as trauma-based propaganda
and there is no legally binding definition of terrorism.
That six million Jews were killed in the holocaust,
But twice that number of Native Americans died,
on the soil where we stand.
That the very land those Natives lived on
is now riddled with oil rigs.
That the U.S. is almost 17 billion dollars in debt.
The very existence of the TSA is unconstitutional.
That Kristen Stewart is not actually required to smile
when being objectified.
That the government can take away your home
whenever it wants.
We say we love our soldiers.
So why has it been estimated
that a third of homeless men are veterans?
I've learned some other things too.
That you can walk to the park without mom's permission.
That even if animals don't have souls
they can still be your best friend.
That solar energy has no harmful side-effects
but more are added to pharmaceuticals every year.
I've learned that no matter how ignorant we are,
herbicides will always run off into the water.
And above all,
I've learned to resist the idea
that people themselves are bad for the planet.
No. We have the ability to protect and cherish.
I've learned that people are to be loved
and never hated.
If we hate ourselves,
how does that solve any problem?
The entire Human population of Earth
can fit into the continental U.S.
with 1/3 acre per person.
That is enough land to feed a family of four;
but only if kept sustainable.
So here's what that means:
take care of the Earth.
Take care of each other.
Wake up in the morning
with a plan to revere life.
The power of love isn't like the power of money.
Love is selfless, love is kind.
Love does not need to own something to exist,
instead it exists in the thoughtfulness
of taking the time -- the world's pressing time --
to smile at someone
simply because they are a fellow human.
I didn't learn that in school.