Kindness

((We did acrostics in English class quite long ago. I picked Kindness as my theme. As my regulars know, I prefer to be more ... revolutionary, than conventional. In a better tone you could say I prefer to find a more creative way of doing things. Ergo, since psychologically everyone should be writing something extremely positive (given the 3 allowed themes - Kindness, Love, Friendship), I opted for something really nihilistic. Behold, the truth behind Kindness's facade.))

K indness
I s 
N ever
D one justice
N ever
E ver
S uccumb to
S ympathy

((There, easy and simple. The rest of the allotted time for the assignment was spent on decorating the card I was writing my poem on. I drew snowflakes, linear patterns and spammed snow with Helena, my correction fluid. I kinda like the atmosphere and mood that the card sets in for readers - the card is already a faint blue to begin with. I am hoping that it will make up for the marks I lost with the unfinished essay the other day.))

Tracks

((Wrote this for my Commonwealth this year ;)))

Tracks
by Williew (officially using this pen name from now onwards)

  Life is a state that distinguishes the living from the dead. In actuality however, it is not that simple. One way of defining it is that Life is an intricate and vast network of running tracks. In the first few years of one’s life, their running track is straight and frank. As they age, junctions emerge, and they are forced to choose the track they prefer. Making the correct decision is vital, as certain tracks may lead to dead ends – in other words, Death. Death is the harbinger of everything’s end – the severing of one’s ties with the living, or their even just their mentality. Even in their teenage years, humanity is already plagued with a multitude of decisions to make. If teenagers aren’t pulled down by the weight of decisions, they are pulled down by other things that can be paralleled to that of running tracks. Allow me to opine more about life’s tracks.

  Attaining one's dream requires a stern will and unfailing determination. It is of no oddity for teenage people to bear huge dreams; such as getting their dream occupation, getting the Nobel Prize or even marrying their life partner of choice. It is much more common to see them fail mid-way; as they are either unable to keep up with their ambitions, or they were intercepted while they jogged through their track. Among my circle of associates, the latter obstacle is more common. One would have been running on a track headed towards a future as lawyer, but suddenly one’s parents would run past him, and construct a wholly different track for the poor child after placing a ‘No Entry’ sign on the original track. Some have parents who were initially supportive, then alternated alliances. It is as if a runner having his designer running shoes wearing out before even reaching the finish line. Though some teenagers may hold the rare and profound inextinguishable spirit and manages to reach the finish line of their desired track, the outcome could still be tragic. They would be cursed and befouled and shunned for being traitorous children by the community, others by their own parents; giving them no real sense of achievement at all. As Bilal Said said, “Life is a bad game, imperfect and unfair. Let us play it well.” It is of personal recommendation that when one faces such turmoil in life, one shouldn’t just ignore the signs and additional tracks others construct and resume running or even turn around to skedaddle, but instead try to take down the signs and demolish the new tracks. When the running shoes wear out, it heralds that it’s time for the runner to assume the role of cobbler. One of life’s greatest blessings is the freedom to pursue one’s goal, but it is up to us to maximize utilization of that freedom.

  The silent voice within one’s heart whispers the most profound wisdom. Only we ourselves know who we truly are and what we really want. There are certain times when we arrive at a certain T-junction that is quite unique while on our individual running tracks. We come from the bottom end of the ‘T’, and we need to choose between two separate tracks to run on. And these tracks are of nigh no return, tracks that will crumble as we step onwards. It is at this T-junction that we choose whether to accept and be ourselves or assemble a whole new identity to adjust to the likings of the self or others. For us teens, we may not like a certain piece of attire, but we strut through our tracks with it, just because it is the latest trend. We approach a person with a persona that disgusts us, only to be able to brag about having a popular friend. We may not have the slightest intention to inherit the family business, but we do so because we think it is our duty. It requires great courage to look at oneself honestly and forge one’s own path. Care not about the needs to bend our true selves. It is a fatal error to doubt ourselves. Only courage in face of doubt can lead one to the answer. Cowardice will only lead to despair and an eternal fracture on one’s track. By the time regret catches up to the runner, it is all but too late. The opportunity of renewal only lies before the face of disaster, so retrace before going too far.

  To find the one true path, one must seek guidance amidst uncertainty. That guidance of ours usually manifest in the form of other individuals who link their running tracks with ours. There is both joy and wonder in understanding another. However there exists people, teenagers especially, who are somehow so deeply traumatized by events such as rape, betrayal or even witnessing one’s own family crumble to dust that they start building walls on both sides of their own track. They no longer harbor the least bit of trust for others, and will sever all their ties with others’ tracks. Still, everyone’s track will have bumps here and there, and sometimes the dreaded dead ends. It is impossible to make it through one’s own track alone. If there are such walls around one’s track, one should get up on their feet and tear down those walls, then put up signs saying “Relay Race Participants Needed” or something along the lines of that. Then there will be others to pass the baton to. The weight of dilemmas will always weigh down the runner, but when shared expect the runner to execute a sudden sprint of glee and relief from feeling the lack of mental luggage that had been with them. To be asocial is to err in running the tracks of life. Embracing sociality instead is the shortcut through life’s tracks. Perhaps the weather in the area one runs in will also change from rainy to sunny with such a positive change. Only with strength can one endure suffering and torment. This strength comes from forming social links with other runners, and those troubling pasts came be buried forever before the bonds of friendship. There is nothing to be gained by looking back. There is only something to be gained by moving onward.

  Alongside time exists fate, the bearer of cruelty. Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are, Death awaits you. The tracks of life are parallel to the Midgardsomr – otherworldly long, but have an inevitable end. Tadashi Kawashima once said, “To hope is to defy reality.” Even by hoping, praying or wishing; Death will not stray from your track. So celebrate life’s grandeur – its brilliance, its magnificence. By the time we manage to catch a glimpse of the argent gleam of Death’s scythe, we would’ve been thinking just like Friedrich Nietzsche, “Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves?” Life per se is meaningless – it is us who gives it meaning. It is the same case with running tracks. They would have been bare without runners running on them. Let us run our track of life wih glory and pride. Gabriel Espinosa may have questioned, “Why are we running to live, if we’re living just to die?” Such negative thoughts should be avoided. We run to live, because we are alive.