Women's Rights (and lack there of)

Ladies, we need to think. No-- not think. We need to reflect. We need to reflect on the things we as women have worked so hard for. The things we have fought for. The things we stood for and still stand for today. We need to reflect on the words, the actions, the sacrifices, and the suffering of the women that fought for us in the past. We need to reflect on the women, both named and nameless, who

 changed history for us and allowed us to live the lives we are living today. We need to reflect on the strength, perseverance, determination, and anger that empowered them to take a stand, and that drove them to do the things they did. We need to reflect on who we are and what we want, what we deserve, and what we have earned as women.

Most importantly, we need to reflect on what has been said in regards to us as women. We need to reflect on the statements that have offended us as of recently. We need to reflect on the persons who will take all our hard work, all our efforts, and crush them. These MEN will ruin our progression, sending us back in time to fight the battles we have already won.
No one can take away your right to choose for yourself what your own body does, or does not do.
No one has the right to tell us "for every dollar a man earns, a woman earns 77 cents."
No one can redefine the word "rape" to mean a "method of conception".
No one can take away our liberties and assume that we will just sit back and allow it to happen.
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

I don't know about you, Ladies, but I am definitely feeling inferior-- and I sure as hell never gave anyone my consent.

Take a stand.
Reflect.

Pass it on. 

Yes, We Can.

Times are changing. 

People are thinking 

differently.

We’re all aiming for

progression

but we are 

most certainly

deteriorating.

It’s sad, 

how thinking

differently

could ruin us.

 *

People are thinking

selfishly.

We are all 

living for

ourselves,

but

that doesn’t 

excuse 

our coldness,

our greed,

or our 

cruelty.

You can look 

after yourself 

and

others, too.

Isn’t it sad, how thinking

selfishly

has ruined us?

*

People are thinking

narrowly.

We couldn’t

possibly

all

be different

and still be

treated the same.

That’s an 

abomination.

That’s a sin.

That’s insane.

It’s no wonder that

thinking narrowly

has ruined us.

*

But times can change.

We can start thinking

differently.

We can put aside

our selfishness,

our greed

and our

pride.

We can lay it

all down

and extend a hand 

instead

to people who truly need 

to be helped up.

Times need to change. 

We can put down our 

narrow

minded ways

and challenge ourselves

to open our hearts 

to others, the way 

we are supposed to.

The way we are expected to

in this day and age. 

We can let go of

all our hatred

our disdain

our bigotry

and accept the fact

that we are 

all

the 

same. 

Times are changing. 

We have been ruined

by ourselves.

It is time to take a stand 

and make a change

for the better, 

because it 

really 

couldn’t get 

any 

worse.

Think differently.

Think differently and we 

might

have a shot

at becoming the best

we have ever

been.

Summer

I'm gonna keep this one short and to the point. I love summer, don't get me wrong. I'm not so crazy about "bikini season" this year, however. Girls, for some odd reason, think it is acceptable or "cute" to post pictures of themselves in their bikinis online.

My Facebook newsfeed is FULL of half naked pictures. Now, I am harmless. What these girls fail to realize is the attention they are receiving is not always the safest. Now I could be paranoid due to too many episodes of Law and Order: SVU, but I'm pretty sure there are real predators out there. There are scary people in this world who will look at your pictures. Some of those people may not stop at just "looking". I know it is crazy to think that way, and "what are the odds it would happen to me", but I guess I am of the mindset that I would rather be safe then sorry. 

I am disgusted with how these girls portray their characters online, simply for attention. I'm going to be honest, girls who post pictures of themselves like that come across as desperate. Not only for attention, but for some form of acceptance. You don't have to pose in your bikini to be accepted. The pictures of you and your friends by the pool or at the beach, those are understandable. But when it is just you alone in your bathroom, standing on your toilet posing in front of the mirror, it isn't just a "cute" picture. It's a cry for attention. "Look at my body!! Look at how cute I am!! I want everyone to envy me and comment on this picture!!" (Don't get offended if some girls criticize you. We find you annoying. We find you very annoying. So stop posting those pics!!) 

My advice to you: Bikinis are meant for the pool, not my newsfeed. I, along with many others, don't want to see it. I don't want to think differently of you because of your "confidence." Girls, leave some things to the imagination. Your Facebook "friends"-- all 984 of them, they don't need to see you posing in front of your mirror in your bikini. Step off the toilet or the counter, put your camera away, and, instead of taking a billion pictures of yourself in your bikini, jump in the pool. 

Keep in mind.

Time does not fix everything. Sometimes it takes action.

There is a big difference between being kind, and being walked on.

It is up to you to decide who is important enough to be worth the stress.

If you can’t make someone happy, let them be happy with someone else.

If you have to constantly ask yourself if something is worth it, it probably isn’t.

You can sleep and dream of what you want, or you can wake up and go get it.

Before you are able to love anyone else, you have to love yourself.

Your mistakes should be your motivation, not your excuse.

If you believe in yourself, the world is yours.

Success is the best revenge.

Do not be afraid to allow something or someone change your life.

Accept what is unchangeable. Change what is unacceptable.

No matter what you do, do it for you.

If someone makes a mistake, let it go. If they keep making that same mistake, let them go.

Stop trying to be someone else’s “perfect.”

Sometimes when people grow, they grow apart.

It is never worth it to give up what you want most for what you want now.

Don’t get so caught up in the moment that you forget about the future.

The longer you wait to handle something, the harder it gets.

You shouldn’t have to apologize for being yourself.

The first step in getting what you want is having the courage to get rid of what you don’t.

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

Growing up doesn’t mean being old enough to judge, it means being mature enough not to.

If you want credit for your successes, you have to take responsibility for your mistakes.

Love and Equality.

I don't know where to start.

I don't know when equality will actually happen... I'm sick of hoping for it in a world full of selfish people, who are so terrified of "different."

I don't know when people will finally understand that love is universal. It can happen between any two people. A man falls in love with a woman and that love is celebrated throughout the world. But a man falls in love with a man, and he is sworn a sinner. In my eyes, that same love is still there between two people, and it should still be celebrated.

I am sick of people not understanding this. I am sick of people spitting in the faces of those who consider themselves homosexuals. I am sick of "marriage" being defined by people who think they know so much. I am sick of "love" being limited to only be between certain people. Only "the right" kind of people can fall in love with each other in "the right" way. Only "the right" kind of love can be celebrated, only "the right" kind of marriage can be had, because "the right" people love each other "the right" way.

I want to know what defines love. Where is your hard evidence? And don't throw the bible at me. I believe in God-- but anyone who reads Leviticus and preaches it is completely insane. Take a closer look at Leviticus. If you think we should follow that one infamous verse, read on, because we would then have to follow all the rules of Leviticus-- that is, of course if this is your "evidence"-- I assume you wouldn't want us to pick and choose which verses we listen to. All or nothing, am I right?

Leviticus discusses a "structure" to the ancient world-- I'm sorry, let me say that again-- Leviticus is a book of "laws" that were followed IN THE ANCIENT WORLD.  If you read Leviticus carefully, you will see that it is completely outdated and the world as we know it does not follow the majority of that book in the Bible. Who knew it was a sin to "play with the skin of a pig"? I guess we should cancel the superbowl, "the bible tells me so".

I'm so upset that people throw the Bible down as a reference-- people who swear to live by it fully, but don't. God says to love everyone as they are your neighbor. I don't see that here. At all. I see people picking out passages that they think should be heard, and pushing it upon people they can't identify with.

Homosexuality is an abomination under God. That's what it says. That's what they believed. Thousands of years ago. Thousands of years ago. Now I would like to assume we've grown up a little in that time as a human race. Sadly, however, we haven't. There are still people who think these things and who discriminate against anyone who is different then they are. Listen. We are living in an ever changing world. Nothing stays the same for more than a few years. After all the time we've had on this planet, people have changed. People are going to be different then you. You can't change it, so you may as well accept it and keep living your life.

I'm angry.
I am angry that, although God commands us to love one another, we as His people, don't. I am embarrassed-- not everyone believes in God, the Christian God, and yet, the Bible seems to have a white-knuckle grip on our culturally diverse country. I'm angry that America says we have the right to pursue happiness, and yet, that undeniable human right is still only given to "the right" kind of people.


Newsflash. Homosexuality is a reality. Whether you like it or not, whether God Himself likes it or not, it is a reality. My generation will be the generation to knock down the walls that separate gay, straight, and everything in between. My generation will overcome prejudice, discrimination, and the fear of "different." My generation will slash the double standards that America has upheld for so long.

 I don't care if I run the show all by myself. I won't live my life being ashamed of the human race because of the superfluous bigotry that seems to have us open-minded "Millenials" against a wall. It isn't going to happen. I'm not the only one out there who is angry. I'm not the only person willing to stand up against this crap.

I'm angry, and if you aren't angry, then you should be scared.
Change is brewing. It will take some time, but I can feel it already. Change is coming.

Forgiveness.

Everyone reading this-- take a second and think about how you speak to other people. Not just what you say, but how you say it.


Someone has spoken harshly to you, someone has criticized, mocked, even bullied you. At some point in your life, someone took it upon themselves to say something unnecessarily cruel to you.


You cried about it. You never forgot it. You hated them for it. You thought differently about yourself because of it. It is inevitably true, this has happened.


So here's a question.


Have you ever been that bully? Have you ever spoken cruel words to someone? Have you said nasty things behind someone's back?  At some point in your life, you have said something to make someone else feel bad about themselves.


They cried about it. They never forgot it. They hated you for it. They thought differently about themselves because of it. It is inevitably true-- this has happened.


I am not saying this to make you feel guilty. Instead, I am asking you to acknowledge that both situations have happened-- and I am asking you to "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." 

No one is perfect-- everyone has been hurt, and everyone has hurt someone else. It is how life teaches us lessons, however, we have to learn from those lessons. Make a conscious decision to treat people with kindness. If someone wears something you don't think flatters them, keep that comment to yourself. If someone sings off key, don't speak about it. If someone is awkward or out of place, don't mock them. These things will continuously cast you in a negative light, and you never know who your words get back to. Being kind isn't something that comes and goes, it is a lifestyle, a mindset, and an attitude. 


Forgive the person who hurt you and forgive yourself. 


Bring kindness to the forefront of your mind, and live by it everyday.

Anger.

Anger is a funny emotion. Up until recently, I never really knew what anger felt like. To be so angry that you couldn't see straight. I knew what anger felt like, I just never really knew how I, as an individual, dealt with it. 

I dealt with it in ways I didn't particularly like. I would yell, I would ignore the situation and the people involved, I would become a totally different, ugly person. 

I didn't like that person. 

So I reconsidered how I dealt with my anger. Instead of choosing to take my anger out on those who caused it, I instead, let the issue simmer. I took the time to think about why I was angry, and how it could be fixed or resolved. 

I communicated this to the person who had angered me in the calmest way I could, and I explained that I would need some time to let the anger work it's way through me. Anger, for me, always goes away. I have learned to forgive people. I have learned to let things go. Grudges are not worth the time or the effort to me, I'd much rather make nice with someone and move forward rather than wallow in the past. 

The key to managing anger, for me anyways, is taking the time to level my head. If I can give myself the time I need to deal with the anger, sort through my emotions and really understand why I feel that way, I know I can approach the situation in a fair, proactive way. 

By keeping a level head, I understand myself and my feelings, I express myself clearly, and the anger that at one point made my blood boil, leaves me and allows me to return to my normal calm, cool, and collected self.