Imagine if people couldn't talk. The pain the world feels from cruel words would be gone. Words can hurt just as badly as any bullet wound, no matter who you are. We all tell kids that sticks and stone can break our bones but words can never hurt us. And at the time you're saying it, sure it seems like a better option than letting the kids confidence diminish. But is it true? If words were stopped, would people be happier? Some say that silence is a great healer. Silence can not physically heal you, but mentally, sometimes its better not to say anything, to keep silence. To save someones feelings, to save them from embarrassment and pain. So in a way, silence is a great healer. It can help let people understand themselves without the opinions of those around them. That is what is important, understanding yourself and appreciating everything about you. And when there is silence, you can heal yourself of the toxins around you.
Dear Kay-Lee age 10,
Its 2010 and if you could tell about all the changes in the world since 04, I would. But there have been too many and it will be more fun for you to find out for yourself. But I will tell you a few things about your life. In 04 you are still going to St. Greg's. You'll go to public school after this year but I'm sure you know that. But here is the kicker....you'll move again after 7th grade. I know what you are thinking. WHAT!? That will be the 5th house and 5th school? Well at the time, you'll be happy. Cause 7th grade sucks. That was the awkward year so it just wasn't fun. Anyway you might as well get used to moving cause you are kind of a stir crazy now. So I'm guessing in life, we're going to move around a lot.
Anyway, you'll end up liking the new city. You join a chorus that you both love and hate but you've met some of your very best friends so it's OK. You're pretty cynical and sarcastic, public school did that to you. It also made you distant so you should try to open up a little. It will probably help in the long run.
Your life is pretty good. I don't have too many complains and there is not really anything I can warn you about. Because half the fun is finding out yourself, so you just enjoy everything that is thrown at you. It has made you strong.
Love
Kay-Lee age 16
My parents have taught me everything and through that I've become the person I am. Rules in my house have always been very basic. My parents gave me freedom and the right to make my own decisions and as I've gotten older, the rules have changed but I've kept that freedom.
As a toddler:
- Don't climb up the wooden stairs
*I actually did climb up the stairs and that's the only time I've ever gotten in trouble in my life
- Don't touch the pretties - which meant anything made of glass or something I could break
- Don't go outside alone
As a kid:
- Do you homework when you get home
- Mind you p's and q's
- If you don't like the food at a friends house, just say no thank you
- Don't talk to strangers
As a preteen:
- Its OK if you aren't good at all subjects
- The phrase "a whole nother" makes no sense NOTHER is not a word. Its "a whole other" - use it right or sound like an idiot
- Real friends like you for you
As a young adult:
- Its your life, you can make your own decisions
- You know you best
- We trust you - its the other people we don't trust
And looking back, I can't think of anything else I would have wanted them to teach me. Because I see people who have parents who are overbearing and I'm glad my parents trusted me enough to give me freedom. They've always treated me as a person and because of that, I'm me.
Modern times have turned perfectly legitimate holidays into days promoting materialism. Christmas is about Santa and getting presents, Easter about waiting for a magical bunny to bring you something, Halloween about begging people for candy, even Memorial Day has been changed from their original purposes to mattress sales. People’s obsession with nothing but stuff has distorted the point of holidays.
I believe the most common of these days is a day where affection toward others is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the second month of every year. This day has been celebrated regularly since the 19th century, when the purpose was to be with the one you care about. Today, this “holiday” is about getting that ring or the big box of chocolates. People are beginning to judge the amount of affection one has towards them on what presents that person gives them. But the problem is, you can’t tell how much someone cares about you from a ring. A ring can’t show affection toward you the way a person can.
Women today seem to think that if their boyfriend doesn’t take them to some fancy restaurant and propose to them where everyone can see than their boyfriend doesn’t care about them. But to me, that seems like the most impersonal way to show the depth of your affection to someone. To be able to truly see how someone feels about you, you only need to listen to the words they say to you. Or the looks they give you. Most people just ignore the small things when those are what mean the most. If you feel that you can trust someone enough to open your emotions to them, you should be able to see past the material things.
The busy life style that is today has altered the early simplicity that was a day about trust and true love. Now, the fourteenth day of the second month of every year has turned into another greeting card company holiday that revolves around false affection and materialism.
