The Acne to my melanin

The systems and rules we live by were made by man and therefore can be changed by man. “It is the way things are” and “that’s how it’s always been done” are no longer good enough. If we could all unanimously agree that slavery was unacceptable and that no human should own another human no matter the circumstances, or religious/political, and cultural justification, then surely we can amend other aspects of society.  The people who put certain systems in place were ordinary men who had personal agendas, be they racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or a combination. These systems were set in place by those who were historically in positions of power and I do not think it would be a stretch to say that these people did not exactly have the best interests of mankind in mind when creating these systems. A simple visit to the history section of any library will shed light on this. We have already started to challenge and have changed many of their systems from colonisation and slavery, all...

Entitlement – The fact of having a right to something (Oxford Languages via Google)  Entitlement is a word often reserved for those who have done us wrong and is used negatively. It is commonly associated with those who are selfish and inconsiderate. It is not a title that anyone wants to be labeled with.  Those who consider themselves ahead of the curve and wise, often say that no one owes you anything and slap the shameful tag of entitlement on whoever dares demand or expect anything from anyone. If you expect nothing, then you will not be disappointed they say. This is a defense mechanism to protect oneself against disappointment and heartbreak. The world is a rough place and I place no blame on someone for wanting to prevent pain and protect themselves. What I will not accept though, is the notion that no one owes you anything. That is not how communities work. That is not how humans have survived for thousands of years and that is not how healthy interpersonal relationsh...

 I, personally, do not care if you think I am racist. I believe that I am not and I am pretty certain that I give all individuals equal standing regardless of their race but if you feel like I am coming up short, I do not care. I have enough reasons to be racist that do not reflect badly on my character so my striving to ensure that I am not is more than you deserve.  I have 368 years of reasons to be racist. I am in a perpetual state of anger that messes with my quality of life because of you. Every time I turn on National Geographic and the narrator speaks of the dwindling North American buffalo I am reminded that they were almost wiped out of extinction because the Native Americans were dependent on them for survival and Europeans weren’t too happy about them being alive.  My blood boils when I listen to prominent white people such as Bill Gates and Prince William speak about how overpopulation, and I remember the British hero, Winston Churchill allowed million of Indi...

Forgiving yourself is far more difficult than asking someone you've wronged for forgiveness because there is no one to absolve your wrongs. There is no fight to be had with someone that will serve as the climax of the conflict where everything that follows after is a step forward. Forgiving yourself is a process that sometimes feels like 1 step forward, two backward, and another sideways. Some days hurt more than the first day you realised that you dropped the ball, and each subsequent day hurts more than the last. What makes this especially difficult is the cruel words with which we refer to ourselves during this time. Even when someone has wronged you, you often do not say the worst thing you possibly can to them, but when speaking to yourself there is no such filter. The things you can't describe you feel in your gut, and taste on your tongue. But the sun rises again. And again. You have to keep rising with it every day, trying to make amends, to love yourself again. Do the ...