The Words I Never Said (Open Letter)

IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE!  A major change, not just within your own self, but in the way each and every one of us lives our lives. I am not talking about your diet, the amount of sleep you do or do not get every night, or even how often you are physically active.  My intent is not to try and persuade you to get a better job, or find a new career, nor is it to attempt to nudge you toward finally taking that dream vacation to some luxurious, tropical resort that actually turns out to be everything the broacher promised. No. Though, I do admit all of these things are beneficial and maybe helpful to you. My intent however, is to make you think. What does that mean exactly?

Well when you do finally decide to take that dream vacation to that supposedly tourist- friendly country, think about the world outside that three, four, five star resort...the REAL Country. The one you don’t see as a Tourist. Look past the Palm Trees, perfect beaches and lavish living. Cast your gaze through the five star accommodations and ever-so-prompt service. Shove away your false sense of security and immune yourself to the Hollywoodesque facade. Take time to see the pain, the struggle, the poverty. Expose yourself to the violence, the desperation, the anguish, the fighting. Allow yourself to become lost in the lack of hope, be taken aback by the pungent obviousness for the longing of something better that will never come. Only once you have allowed yourself to do this, to feel what the other ninety-five percent feel every second of everyday, should you ask yourself “where does my money go?” Yes, where does your money go? It’s interesting (albeit, not easy) to think out of the hundreds, maybe even thousands that you spend on flights, accommodations, food, memorabilia, and activities how much actually does get back to the Town, City, Country? Take for example Mexico, a Third World Country, that’s still a highly sought after vacation destination for people from all over the world.

It is estimated that over 22 million people visited Mexico in 2011. However, according to Molloy, a New Mexico State University research librarian as well as a homicide statistic analyst for Mexico who uses Official Police reports to keep a daily update on the casualties in the Country. There have been an estimated 135,517 narcotic-related murders in 2013, which places the Mexican Drug War ahead of the Civic War in Syria in terms of total number of people killed.

Still not entirely sure of what I’m trying to get at yet? Fair enough. So you spend hours (or maybe not) planning your trip to Mexico, you talk to friends, co-workers, relatives, maybe a few strangers in line at the Supermarket about where’s the best place to go and what there is to do. So then you go and purchase your ticket online to fly round trip to Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Guadalajara, or wherever you decide you want to go. You make the trip suffering through the less than ideal plane food and inevitable jet leg. You’re greeted by smiling faces, relaxing beaches, and big ambitions. Which is fine, don’t get me wrong, that’s what you paid hard earned money on ENJOY it...BUT don’t be FOOLED by it! There is nothing wrong, nor is there any foul in kicking back and recharging your batteries, everyone needs “me” time every now and again. The problem is, is that we allow ourselves to become all too enthralled in the experience. We become complacent and maybe even ignorant of the horrific cost of those who must involuntarily sacrifice everything and live with hardly anything in order for you to have the beauty and tranquility we ravish in.

There are two songs that inspired me to write this that really made me stop and think for two very different, yet vividly distinct reasons. The first one was actually more due to the music video for the song “I don’t want To Be Here Anymore” by punk rock band Rise Against. The video was extremely hard hitting and defiantly did not pull any punches showing scenes of warfare, mourning, child Soldiers, powerful Militia and even an U.S Iraqi War Veteran struggling with what he lived through in Uniform. The video also includes interviews with a young girl, maybe eleven or twelve talking about how many shootings her and her younger brother have already witnessed growing up in the east side of Chicago. The video really sticks out to me however, because throughout it there are statistics revealing just how much violence and bloodshed there is in the world. Here are some of those statistics. “51 million people displaced by conflict each year worldwide. Half are children.” “12,000 killed by Boko Haram.” “1.6 million People lose their lives each year to violence.” “The world has been at peace 8% of recorded history.”  The lyrics to this song make it even more powerful as lead singer Tim McIlrath sings
“We baked down, we took no for answers far too long.
We felt those walls close around.
I don’t want to be here anymore.
I know there’s nothing left worth staying for.
Your paradise is something I’ve endured.
See I don’t think I can fight this anymore.
I’m listening with one foot out the door.
Something has to die to be reborn.
And I don’t want to be here anymore.”
The moral of the song is that because there is so much bloodshed, death, and negativity in the world today, it has taken away any and all hopes of ever finding a better tomorrow because things are never going to change.  

The second song was by (ironically) Chicago born rap artist Lupe Fiasco accompanied by pop and folk rock artist Skylar Grey. The song was entitled “Words I Never Said” where again the lead artist (Lupe Fiasco) raps about the perils of living in today’s society and how by us as citizens taking a back seat and not speaking up even when we feel we need to is making things worse. There are two key moments in this song that really seem to capture what both artists are feeling. First in the chorus, where an emotional sounding Skylar Grey sings:
“It’s so loud inside my head
with words that I should have said
as I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said”  
The other part that really sticks out for me in this song is the last verse by Lupe Fiasco when he raps:
“I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence
 Fear is such a weak emotion, that’s why I despise it
We scared of almost everything, afraid to even tell the truth
So scared of what you think of me, I’m scared of even telling you
Sometimes I’m the only person I feel safe to tell it to
I’m locked in a cell in me, I know that there’s a jail in you
Consider this your bailing out, take a breath inhale a few
My screams are finally getting out, my thoughts is finally yelling through”
The reason these lines stick out for me is because we all want to live our own lives, free of any fear, stress, and pain...just be free to go about our work, family, and social lives and not have to worry about things like Terror, War, addiction, suffering, death, etc. But we are too scared to voice those thoughts for fear of ridicule, punishment, alienation from friends and family or having what we said misconstrued and taken the wrong way. Yet, it is that very fear that is FUELING everything we want to stop; therefore they are the words that we never said.

But what if we COULD change the way things are going and instead of sitting idly by, and instead of continuing on this path of doing nothing and merely accepting whatever may come, we listen to the words of famed American author Marianne Williamson? Who so famously implores us to act upon our ambitions and inclinations by saying “we are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Perhaps all it will take is for us as a society to stop simply waiting for the world to change and start MAKING it change...could it really be that easy? Or maybe it’s better said could it really have been that hard?
In closing I’d like to share an original poem I wrote entitled “Be the Change”

“Be the Change”
Stop merely waiting for the world to change and start to exemplify that on which
you believe is lacking....
BE THE CHANGE!!!
You are far more likely to achieve positive results when you act upon your visions.
The world does not need dreamers and people of mere words,
but far rather the world needs realism and people of action....
BE THE CHANGE!!!!

There is no fear, embarrassment, nor trepidation to be found in living for what you
truly and full-heartedly believe in.
the intimidation one feels when deciding to step out of the normalcy of society and
challenge what is expected is not an emotion that should be feared,
but rather greeted as a source of guidance through unfamiliar waters.
BE THE CHANGE!!!
The time is now for you to make an everlasting difference in this world so take this
as a blessing from the world as a whole and
Set forth your plans to
BE THE CHANGE!!!!

Sincerely,
Someone with a Voice!  

http://rap.genius.com/Lupe-fiasco-words-i-never-said-lyrics
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-mexican-drug-war-isnt-getting-any-worse-now-heres-the-bad-news-3b584b892127
http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Mexico_Vacations/
http://www.values.com/inspirational-quotes/4742-Our-Deepest-Fear-Is-Not-Tha-