The world shifted,

a millenia was born,

and I was a feather

borne on the wings

of that millennia.

Year of the dragon

fiery new souls

fighting against monsters

that never existed before

a year of pain

a year of undying

hope.

Like a new year

for the world

resolutions were made

of hope and happiness

untainted

in expectation

and apprehension.

Maybe special

but not so special

remarkably

unremarkable

a new life

in an

old world.

❋ ❋

You've heard the old saying 'knowledge is power' before, right? Well there's a lot of truth to that saying.

Knowledge is what's needed to achieve greatness in life. It has been used to build societies, cure diseases, make new discoveries, advance technology, educate crowds, and even question the very meaning of life itself. So many extraordinary possibilities have extended from knowledge.

Unfortunately knowledge is often rejected for ignorance in some cases. Perhaps because being ignorant is too easy where gaining knowledge is hard. You have to apply, work hard, and educate yourself; but it's all worth it in the long run. Sometimes ignorance hides the dark truth and yet knowledge reveals it, leaving many somber about life. That may be the case but it is often better to have knowledge of that truth instead of playing along with the lie.

Remember, knowledge is power. It's your power. You just have to use it.

#knowledge #challenge

I spent a few evenings witnessing the comings and goings of night court and I smell a contridiction.

In a court of law, I hear judge after judge tell each defendant that, "ignorance of the law is no excuse". Citizens are required to know each and every law and stand ready to defend themselves against all charges, all without training.

In every class I have ever taught (high school, college, adult learning), the initial premise begins with the students knowing nothing. The onus of knowledge transfer falls solely upon the instructor. If the student will not learn, fails to learn, or fights against learning, I have to develop individual educational plans, attend professional development seminars, and create a syllabus that addresses the student's needs.

Permit me to recap.

In the court room, a defendant stands alone in front of the law, in front of people who are experts in the law. The defendant pays for their ignorance with fines and jail time should they not possess all prerequisite knowledge.

In the classroom, a student stands in the class in front of people who are experts in their subject. The student pays for their ignorance with review, extra instruction, sympathy, and empathy.

When I encounter an ignorant person, I do not fine or imprison them.

When I encounter an ignorant person, I cure them.

Ethan stepped slowly into the house. The chilled air made goosebumps form up and down his arm. The frigid air in the house, unusual for July, only made him smile. He knew she was here again. When Ethan bought this house he never expected the added benefit of finding his one true love.

Ethan spent almost all his time at home now. He barely hung out with his friends. Ethan’s family barely spoke to him anyway, but now he stopped trying to reconnect with them. She was all he needed. She promised him that after tonight they could be together forever. Ethan walked upstairs to his bedroom. After changing out of his work clothes and into something nicer, he went back downstairs and waited for her to appear to him.

She appeared in front of Ethan and he stood to greet her. “Emily, my dear, I’ve looked forward to tonight for a long time now. I’m so happy you finally agreed. Take me, my love. Take me. I belong to you and you to me. Let’s join together forever, my sweet. I love you with all my heart.” He leaned forward as if to kiss her.

Emily leaned into Ethan’s kiss. Her ghostly lips lightly touching his. She lifted one translucent hand to his face, caressing him. Ethan’s lips and cheek went ice cold. As the ghost continued the kiss, Ethan felt the warmth draining from his entire body and he welcomed it. The feeling of cold was gone. For the first time, Ethan felt Emily’s warm breath on his face. He leaned in and their kiss deepened. Breathless, he pulled back. “This is amazing. I can feel you now, not just the cold. I love you so much, Emily.”

Emily smiled, and for the first time, she was able to speak to him. “We can be together forever now, Ethan, my love. Let’s go upstairs and celebrate.” She grinned at him and winked. Ethan took her hand and the two ghosts floated up the stairs. Behind them, the corpse of Ethan Miller lay on the floor of his living room.

Why did we leave Earth?

Why did we let them win?

We tried to be strong, but they chipped away at us everyday.

They created the scars that they could not see.

They laughed, they hit, they excluded.

They whispered, knowing we could hear them.

They stared, knowing we could see them.

They told us that the world would be a better place without us.

We told ourselves that we would be better off dead.

Day after day

We brought ourselves back from the edge.

They pushed us back.

They pushed us over.

When the day ended and we were alone

We still heard them.

Their voices became our voices.

No one likes you.

Weirdo, fatty, ugly, stupid, slut, freak.

Why don't you just kill yourself?

We forgot about the others.

The ones we left behind.

They were the people that loved us.

They lost us forever.

The bastards won.