So far from what I've seen
Is that life is about ebbs and flows
Forces of all natures
Push and constrain you

And life asks you daily,
"Where will you be when I rage against you?"
"What will you be tomorrow after I beat you down today?"
"When I tear at you and rip off all that you use to shield yourself?"
"How will you respond to my punishment?"

Some are quiet
Some are mute

Yet some step forward against the current
Daring life to hit harder
And they laugh
For they know that if they withstood yesterday
Why should today be any different?

He sought revenge
On all those who wronged him
So he dug a grave for his enemies
And one for himself
For he had nothing left to lose

We revel in the hero
Who would selflessly sacrifice himself for the good of all
For that is the essence of a hero
To sacrifice the one for all
One for all and never all for one

We despise the villain
Who would selfishly sacrifice the world for one
For that is the essence of the villain
To sacrifice all for one
All for one and never one for all

But how peculiar that thinking is
For if faced with the choice to save you
The hero would sacrifice you for the world
And the villain give up the world to save you.

For in that instance, who really is the hero or villain?
Is it ever so simple to label?
How peculiar indeed.

In time, the sapling grows
And sprawls above the dirt it once trembled on.
It braved the storms and vicious winds
And raged against the surging tides of fate.
In time, the sapling grew
And it reached the apex of its existence.

Why should we be different?
When the natural cycle allows us to grow.
Shall we cower in fear of adversity?
And forestall our ascendancy to glory?

Mankind will grow like that tree
And in time we shall reach the precipice of destiny
In time, we shall become gods
And our triumphs shall rewrite reality anew.

There are people like libraries
Full of books without words on their pages
Ornate and majestic
Without anything inside

And there are people like mud huts
With fires that warm others who enter
With cracked walls and dirt floors
Who can offer you all the wisdom of modesty

There are people who show and there are people who give.

I know nothing of many things
And in that I find my solitude
Comfort in knowing that I know I do not know much
Though I tip-toe on ignorance
And sometimes fall into arrogance
I am humbled by my foolishness
And aware that I know little

It is liberating to say I do not know
As I extend my invitation to understand more
Every chance I have is to grow
Against the inching tides of complacency

Some days I fear I learned little
But at least you cannot lose what you've gained
Though you may grow stale and dull
What you have will always be there

I know nothing of many things
And I am scared but well secured
I do not falter in the face of doubt
For I will learn to overcome it.

I have a problem that I cannot shake
Caught between tectonic plates
Where I love the world
But hate the crowds
I love the people
Yet hate their traits

I have a problem I cannot hide
All alone I fight inside
It withers down my patience few
So here I boil, here I stew
I tend to hate those I detest
Though I have never met the rest

I have a problem, this is true
Where I love to live
But hate to do,
Anything with anyone
For I can't stand give attention due

I have a problem, perhaps, so do you
For we are the unfortunate few.
Those who live behind a mask
Who cling so tight upon the past
We truly are a wretched crew,
But for now we are the unfortunate few