Who Do You Think You Are?

Life is a fight, a struggle, a war - a constant battle, sometimes literal, sometimes figuratively, sometimes both.

It is more than the quest for a perfect selfie. It is more than the treasured shows that await you on your DVR. It is even more than what you do for a living.

Believe it or not, your life is even more than you. 

This is the part that most people can't grasp. We live in a self-centered society, in a culture that promotes doing whatever it takes to reach the top. But the sooner you realize your own insignificance, the sooner you can reach a purpose that's far more meaningful than any man-given title or trophy.

The downfall of humanity will surely be it's pride.


Could you sit down and talk about others' lives you've touched? 

Could you tell me about the ways you've contributed to society, or even just your community? 

Do you know what selflessness looks like? Have you tried it? Do you realize that you were bought at a price, that you are not your own. You were given this life as a gift, so who out there have you shared that gift with? 

Are you just another person, just one of the 7 billion, who is sucking up air and resources, working for your own personal gain or just your family's gain? 

Do you build homes for the homeless, give food to the poor, sit and read to the elderly, donate to your church, or even just reach out to your fellow coworkers in order to create an environment of friendship instead of cutthroat competition? When was the last time you looked outside of yourself? Outside of your world?

You may not want to look. You might not like what you see.

People you've never taken the time to befriend. A person in need that you may not have helped. An opportunity missed here…and there…and there. In a world where 610,014 people were homeless in America on any given night in 2013. A world where 16 million children struggle with hunger in this country and where only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse are ever looked into. Not to mention crime statistics. Did you know that there are over 400,000 untested, backlogged rape kits in America?

And those are just a few of America's struggles, can you imagine the vast difficulties that the entire world faces?

Have you thrown your hands up, told yourself that you'll never make a difference, so why bother? Have you conceded to global warming and ideas of an unstoppable doomsday. Ever a pessimist and never an optimist. Have you given into a pride that insists that you don't need a God. After all, you are one aren't you? Are you? It's all about you and your family. Isn't it?

What if you created life and all it did was care about itself, would you consider your endeavor successful? What if, as the creator you had a son, and that son died for your creation. And the creation continued on, acting as though it is what matters - not you. What if they didn't even believe you existed, when their very existence is evidence of it?

How would it make you feel if your own creation turned away from you, and even worse - didn't even attempt to help others like them or improve the creation? Are you so busy waving your own flag that you can't pick up someone else's?

---

For at least twelve years of our lives we sit in class, learning in school. Grades are given for everything. So if you had to grade humanity, what grade would it have? If you got a grade, what would you get? 

Who have you touched? What have you done? And if you haven't touched anything, or done anything, why exactly is it that you think you are so damn important? Is it because you're an individual? Because so is everyone else! Is it because you're a CEO? There are other CEO's. Is it because you have kids? The world has plenty of kids - and everyday some of them starve or are killed or are sold into slavery. Are you just creating more people that will only care about themselves? What sort of accomplishment is that?

Are you really special? Have you changed the world? Or are you so enamored with yourself that you don't even feel the need to?


Why bother right? It's a lot of work just keeping up with the Kardashians. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RAWK Holiday Art Show

Image
Do you live in Houston? Do you enjoy looking at beautiful artwork, having a fun date night with your honey bun, meeting new people, having fun and supporting the hopes and dreams of this artist right here? Than come to the RAWK Holiday show, featuring yours truly! Tickets are only $15, and you're in no way obligated to buy anything. You can just come and have a blast if you want! I'm thrilled that I was scouted through my Etsy shop and made a featured artist in this show. It's such a fantastic opportunity as an artist, and an awesome belated birthday gift for me. So if you're able to come, I'd be thrilled to see your smiling face there on December 11 at Stereo Live in Houston. You're support means so much to me, even simply buying a ticket if you're not able to come would help me out a ton. To buy tickets go here:  http://www.rawartists.org/lizrector Thank you to all my friends and family who have encouraged my artistic development through the year...
Read more

Things You May Need to Hear

Image
There is a good chance that you need to hear at least one of these things at this moment or throughout the new year: 1. Stop looking at your anger or anxiety as a wall you keep running into. Instead, look closely at the bricks that make up the wall. Attack the wall one brick at a time and watch the wall disappear. 2. Fear is an illusion. When anxiety strikes, you have to lean into it to get out of it. 3. You are where you need to be. Even if you feel stuck, even if you hate it, even if you don't understand it - stop trying to escape, and start asking yourself what you can learn from this. 4. People who don't have a clear sense of their own identity latch on to others. They turn their insecurity into gossip, their anxiety into manipulation, their inferiority complex into sabotage. Remember that you are a separate organism and that you can choose to either let their toxins in, or keep them out. Don't take on others' baggage before unpacking your own. If you ca...
Read more

Analysis of Gerrit Dou's "Dentist by Candlelight" by Liz Rector '09

Image
The piece I have chosen to analyze is Gerrit Dou’s Dentist by Candlelight. A Dutch painter from the 1600’s, Dou began this piece that explores everyday life in 1660 and completed it in 1665. Painted with oil on oak panel (14x10 in.), the piece, which is mostly bathed in blacks and grays, has an eerie lure to it. Entrapped on the oak is a man with his mouth agape, sitting in a wooden chair, wearing a distinct look of anticipating agony. The man looks to the ceiling, where his eyes are met with an alligator hanging from the ceiling; the alligator’s mouth agape as well, with its underbelly aglow. The dentist holds a single candle to the man’s face with one hand, and with the other holds back the patient’s forehead. A concerned wife stands before the man, holding his hand, which is securely fastened to the arm of the chair. The viewer anticipates action, as the scene seems ready to unfold at any moment. The three people in this situation form a sort of circle through their lit facades and ...
Read more