BRB trying to stop humanity from destroying everything
The violence in this world makes me so sad that it’s hard to even watch the news. I hear about people blowing things up, people dying in drunk driving accidents, people hurting animals, people hurting the Earth, people hurting each other…I feel like I could go on forever. This has gone on for far too long, but what can a 19 year old from a small town in Ontario do? Some people would say nothing, but I disagree. I can do something. It might not change the world overnight, but if one person becomes a little more positive every day we could accomplish something.
First: express yourself. Somehow, someway tell the world how you feel. Write something, make a video, create a piece of art. DO SOMETHING. So here is my something.
I realized after the recent attack in Belgium that there are a whole load of songs out there that have messages of anti-war and anti-terrorism. I kept hearing songs with similar messages on the radio, on 8tracks, on tv, everywhere. So I picked a bunch of them that resonated with me and expressed how I felt about these devastating events. I took those song lyrics and I tore them apart and put them back together into a “found poem.” For those of you who don’t know, a found poem is a poem that uses already written words (articles, books, songs, etc) and rearranges them into a poem. (A list of the songs I used will be at the very end of this article) Here’s mine:
The war outside our door keeps raging on;
It’s no place for the faint-hearted.
Don’t you dare look out your window darling,
Bodies strewn across the dead end street.
Everything’s on fire.
War is all around.
The war that brings me to my knees.
Born in this world as it all falls apart:
There’s bullets flying through the air,
Walls are rising high again,
The sun is going down.
War is all around.
And the battle’s just begun,
And we all look away.
Just close your eyes
And make it go away.
There’s no justice in the world.
War is all around.
How can we fall asleep at night
When you know damn well that this is wrong?
It’s a shame we’re all dying
Just as an angel cried for the slaughter
And the violence caused such silence.
We must be mistaken.
Yes, we wave this flag of hatred,
But I won’t heed the battle call.
This fighting is hopeless, we need this to end.
The casualties that we both leave;
It’s all so unnecessary.
We must be mistaken.
I hear the hate in all your words.
What purpose does this serve?
I’m trying to help you to see!
How many more sent to their graves
In this lesson ignored?
We must be mistaken.
We could live in such harmony.
We fight for peace,
And in return I lost my life.
I’m tired of fighting for peace!
Peace will find us with harmony.
We must stand together.
While everyone’s lost, the battle is won.
We never wanted all this;
Now we see everything that’s going wrong.
Throw down your weapons!
It’s going too far, don’t know where it began.
We must stand together.
Waiting on the world to change?
There ain’t gonna be heroes,
There ain’t gonna be anything!
So trade your guns,
We could live in such harmony.
We must stand together.
I can’t believe the news today;
It’s no place for the faint-hearted.
Oh I can’t close my eyes
And make it go away.
Peace sells…
…but who’s buying?
Last: make changes. Find a cause or particular form of violence that you feel passionate about and make some changes in your life. For me, I started with animals. I became a vegetarian in August 2015 and I no longer purchase any cosmetics that were tested on animals or clothing made from animals. And don’t stop at just one change. We have a lot of problems in this world so there’s no shortage of things people can change. Right now I am working on becoming more mindful of the people around me. I think a lot of people go about their lives and don’t give a second’s thought about the people around them. I think we’ve forgotten how to love each other. I’m not talking about going up to a total stranger, telling him/her that you love him/her, and giving him/her a hug. That’s a breach of personal space and could be construed as assault if you make that person really uncomfortable. I’m talking about holding the door for people, saying thank you for your morning coffee, and saying sorry if you accidentally bump into someone. These are not crazy things, but it’s crazy that some people don’t do them.
Two things. That’s really all it takes. Get your thoughts out into the world and practice what you preach. I promise you that if you start making positive changes in your life you will be a happier person and the world around you will be a happier place.
Songs used in the found poem: “Abraham’s Daughter” by Arcade Fire, “Cease Fire” by Christina Aguilera, “Zombie” by The Cranberries, “Gods of War” by Def Leopard, “Young” by Hollywood Undead, “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer, “All These Things I’ve Done” by The Killers, “Peace Sells” by Megadeth, “Aftermath” by Muse, “Soldier’s Poem” by Muse, “Nothing To Remember” by Neko Case, “Harmony” by NeverShoutNever, “When We Stand Together” by Nickelback, “Survivor Guilt” by Rise Against, “Safe And Sound” by Taylor Swift, and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2.
