Thoughts, and such

“The thing that most haunted me that day, however...was the fact that these things had - apparently - actually occurred...For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history's terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth. And once you've seen that truth - really seen it - you can't look away.”

― Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian

The thing with history is that it never fails to amaze me; in both good and bad ways. I look at the great parts of history where people were working together to make or do something great, like the word’s fair, fair trade, international women’s day, or good clean competitiveness like the Olympics.

Then I look at the not so great parts where hatred for other peoples, and disasters triumph, like in the never-ending wars, the great depression, and government oppression.

I love history and feel like I can truly appreciate the past. Yet there are some things that I don’t think can be appreciated, like hunger, hate, and hypocrisy. It is so easy sometimes to just forget about the truly terrible times in history, or sugarcoat the events that are too horrific to really think about what actually happened, that we don’t realize that those things, those events, are true and horrific and terrible. That people are actually capable of making it that way scares me a little.

HOWEVER, people are also capable of doing truly great things. Though I believe in today's society our energies are focused elsewhere on things that might not really matter in the long run.

I want to do something great. I want to be part of a generation that is remembered in the history books not as part of some terrible thing, but as a generation that did something great: something to stop hatred or poverty, or maybe both. 

Thoughts from places: Downtown Columbus

Last night I took a walk Downtown. The weather was perfect, and Downtown is my favorite place in Columbus. I love all the old houses, the stores and all the nice southern people. Sunset is one of the best times to go for a stroll downtown, this night in particular. The breeze was blowing just slight enough to make my hair move to the point where I felt like a model; strutting my stuff down the sidewalk; which was my runway. The setting was perfect, and the whole thing made me start thinking about all the people, those living and those who have passed on, who made this town the way it is.

I find so much beauty in Downtown; I'm in love with it. By this time in the sunset, everything was looking like a black and white movie; everything visible, just no color. I was almost back to my Apartment when a white Lincoln speeds by me and hits a kitten. The tire had flattened the head.

I had to watch the helpless kitten convulse for a minute until finally it lay there, lifeless.

This made me wonder, how can a race of people, humans, create a town so beautiful, create in general, and also take life away so easily? How are we able to be such polar opposites? We are a race who can love and hate at the same time. We are a people that can cultivate life as well as destroy it. The world will never be a perfect place, and just when you think that it's getting there, a helpless kitten will be murdered right in front of your eyes. Does this mean we should stop trying to make things better? No.

The world may never be perfect, but without people trying to make it so there will be nothing but dead kittens everywhere, and nothing beautiful like courtesy art and love. For the latter is what makes life so much easier to live. So now, I will mourn for a moment, and then do something to make up for the wrong I witnessed. This is life. This is how I can sleep at night.