people

First there were people. And we looked out for each other.

There was kindness, compassion, and caring. We knew each other. We shared stuff. There was community. It all meant something and we all stood for something – we stood for each other.

And when times were tough and threats loomed on the horizon, we stood next to each other, shoulder to shoulder. We would win or die, together.

Then came the brainwashing. The lies. The manipulation.

Glossy magazines, gossip columns, TV shows, flashy advertisements; we bought it all. Hook, line and sinker.

We bought the lie and bought into the fake stuff. We started chasing that fake B.S. like it was something worthwhile… like it was something real.

And we forgot what was real. Worst of all, we forgot how to be real.

Now we’re disconnected – from our true selves, our families, our neighbours and our countrymen. And though we’re a part of nature, we act like we are above her… and on it goes.

We’re in competition mode now. It’s rich against poor, man against man, black man against white man, and man against woman.

Where we once worked together, to make things better for all; we now work against each other and it’s winner takes all.

And now, when times get tough, it’s every man for himself.

As for threats on the horizon, ain’t nobody got time for that! Put a gun in the poor kid’s hand, or call in the U.N. Either way, it’s somebody else’s problem now.

But there’s still time. There’s still hope. And there’s still a heck of a lot of good left in all of us.

Let’s get real

First, let’s understand what really matters.

It’s not where you live. It’s not what you drive. It’s not how much money you make in a year. And it’s not how many letters you have after your name. It’s not what you do for a living or how many followers you have on social media.

None of that matters. It’s not real. It’s all fake and it’s all temporary.

The only thing that’s real is what you give. It’s what you do for others and how you treat them. It’s how much you love and how much you care.

Hollywood doesn’t know jack about heroes. Real heroes don’t even have six-packs, they have wrinkles instead. They have stretch marks from giving birth. They have saggy boobs from nursing multiple children; and pot-bellies from sitting at the same desk for years to put food on the table and see the kids through college.

Real heroes wake up early, do the school run and then do a gruelling day’s work at the office. And after all that, they come home, fix dinner and help with the homework.

The real hero spend her precious free time helping her friend fix the decking and she’s busy taking care of her elderly neighbour when he’s ill.

So, if you want to see a real hero, go and take a look in the mirror now.

Life can be brutal and you’ve got the scars to prove it. You’re tired and you’re hurting, but you still carry on. Every day you wake up and you help, you serve and you do your best. You never give up and you never let people down.

And just look at what you have and all that you have accomplished!

You have people who love you, people who trust you, and people who depend on you. All these people, their lives are made better because of you. And you live surrounded by love.

So it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a fancy job, or make stacks of money. And it doesn’t matter if the world doesn’t know of you or ever hear of your doings.

You’re still special. You still matter. And you’re someone worth admiring.

And so, you don’t ever (and I mean ever!) need to chase the fake B.S.

You are enough and you have enough. And you are so freakin’ real!

If the world as we knew it ended tomorrow… and all that fake stuff was wiped off the face of the Earth, the only thing that would be left would be people – people like you. And thank God for that!

And we’d be still be people, looking out for each other… as before.

Related Posts:

Resources: