We are taught to "appear" amazing on the outside
not to feel amazing on the inside
We are taught to hide our flaws
and be ashamed of them
not to work with our flaws
and see their value
We are taught to silence and suppress
our inner demons
not to understand and heal them
We are taught to appear aloof
and keep it "cool"
when expressing and managing our emotions healthily is better
We are taught asking for help is weak
when help is what we need
We are taught that feeling anger,
jealousy, lust, resentment is bad
when these are all valid feelings
carrying a deeper meaning
We learn to put on a convincingly happy face
when we feel dead and lonely inside
We are taught to be vigilant
and to trust nobody
not to be compassionate
with healthy boundaries
We are taught to coldly judge
and be smartly sarcastic
not to warmly understand
and lovingly speak
We are taught to be passive aggressive
not to be straight forward
We are taught to abuse close family
in the name of love
and use them to let out our stress
not to relieve our stress using healthier methods
We are taught to have children
as a solution to our problems
when its our problem to solve
and not theirs
We are taught to cling on
to toxic relationships
with a victim mentality
not to bravely let go,
appreciate the memories created,
understand the lessons learnt,
heal the wounds formed,
evolve and move on
We learn to silently accept abuse
to be love
from the people we trust
not to loudly speak up for ourselves
and defend our boundaries
when we feel uncomfortable
We are taught to 'keep the peace'
by ignoring red flags
when having difficult conversations
help to bring peace,
at least for you
We are taught that we "need to fix" our partner
when their baggage is not ours to unpack
and only they can save themselves
We learn that being self partnered
or "single for too long" is bad
not to cultivate self love
and appreciate our alone time
We are taught to fear change
when change is the only constant
We are taught to survive independently
as one human
not to thrive interdependently
as one species
We are taught to get by life easily
not to go after our own passions,
no matter the difficulties
We are taught to be someone, somewhere
not to be authentic, anywhere
We are taught to fit in to be safe
wherever we are
not to be ourselves
and find our tribe
Its time we unlearn lies and relearn truth
Its time we had a reality check
Its time we clean up our act
Its time we stop living a lie
Its time.
 |
| Stop living a lie My inspiration for this poem: |