life is about living.

To whom it may concern,

You. Yes you. This is my wake up call to you. Your eyes are filled with envy, your heart with worthless aches towards destructible things and your mind preoccupied with how to get more. More power. More material things: houses, property, jets, boats; all things that will eventually burn. It’ll burn bright and its ashes will rise above you as you remain with empty hands and an empty heart. Where did this drive towards material things orientate? When did more become better? The answer is less, my friend. Happiness is found in less. It is the secret that is becoming difficult to be heard. It’s being muffled by society, for society is whispering lies into your ears. It’s whispering, “You need more. You need to be at the top. More money. More glamour. This is the American dream.” It’s getting a tad redundant isn’t it? More, more, more. I’ve dwelled in the shadows and watched this madness for too long. I’ve seen you walking down the street, taking each step in your leather shoes with pride. I’ve seen you wear that grin of success almost as good as your overpriced threads on your back; but, my friend, your heart is a black hole. You’ve fallen into their trap. You see the billboards and you want they advertise, you have put your aspirations of the back burner to become “successful”, you smile at the number of zeros on your paycheck, and you’ve forgotten your element.

My friend, I have empathy for you. Society is the driving force behind your behavior. It makes it so appealing, doesn’t it? Living a beautiful life filled with success, money, and things sounds great. But, are you living? Can you feel your soul? Stop and feel. Imagine. Dig deep and discover your passions. That, my friend, is living. Turn off the television, don’t flood your mind with worthless gossip and don’t occupy your space with material things. I can see clearly the path that we are headed down. Society has our hand and it’s leading us. One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, walking towards a superficial lifestyle. Are your eyes beginning to open? Do you realize how far you’ve fallen, how many steps you’ve taken? My friend, it’s reversible. Let go of the hand guiding you, stop in your tracks, turn around and run. Run towards love, simplicity, and art. Run towards companionship, laughter and new beginnings. Once you’ve run so far in the opposite direction stop and feel your heart. It’s alive.

You’ve been the victim. It’s the culprit that I fear. The culprit, who is injecting envy into our veins and breathing greed into our lungs. It displays images of useless plastics, urging us to believe we need it, it will bring us happiness. It convinces us that things can mend broken hearts, forgiveness can be bought. Love can be shown through diamonds and pearls. Stop buying into the lies; shield your eyes from the billboards that are mocking you every time you pass. Its attempt to mold me and you into mirror images of each other is sickening but yet becoming successful. The society sees you as a dollar sign. It markets its products to you in the most deceitful way and instills envy into your eyes. You want what you can’t have, covet your neighbors, and greed eats away at your soul. Greed. It’s a beast that society is feeding and you, my dear friend, have grown selfish. You spend extra hours at the office instead of home with your spouse with the excuse that you’re working for the future and you waste precious time on making an extra dollar. You’re losing family and friends but gaining things. Things that are covered with glitter, looks so glamorous and feels so glamorous only to be dusted off and revealed as absolute nothingness. Big cars can’t fill voids and big houses only make you realize empty space surrounding you. So, put down the credit card. Shut off the television. Discover what makes your heart beat fast. Learn your passion again. Close your ears to the media. Do you feel like your waking up?

Share the wealth. There’s enough of it, that’s for sure. The business men at the top drive their fancy cars giving off toxic fumes while children die from empty stomachs. It is pure selfishness; isn’t it, my friend? We have enough. Stop reaching for more, but instead distribute it. Society has made us believe that we always need more. Need. Not want. Need. What we need is for the world to stop hurting. Once the greed that is lurking inside our hearts is destroyed we can do better. Imagine a world that is fueled by happiness, joy and love, simplicity. I can see it. We can beat this, but it takes open eyes and a yearning heart. The oblivious need to be reached and the wealthy need to be called out.

I’m imagining a world where we give the clothes off our back to keep another warm, where neighbors help neighbors, where what’s mine is yours, where love is bursting through the hearts of every being and when I look into their eyes and see their soul. I believe this is the way that life was intended for us. It’s been destroyed by society. We’ve been robbed of our happiness and given fake temporary highs to satisfy us. Are you satisfied? Our natural instincts are being numbed, it’s confusing us. But, high always fade and we realize that emptiness is what remains. Society only has the power if we allow it to have it. My friend, I am making it my personal mission to reach out and change lives. I want you to feel alive. I want my ideas to spread across the sea, touching one life at a time. So, let go of the demon leading you. Breathe. Open your eyes and heart. Turn around. And run towards natural joy. Then smile, for you have won.

I’m asking you to join this movement. Discover life again. Don’t be left standing, stunned, as your materialistic things burn and its ashes dance around you mocking you. “You’ve been fooled.” Don’t be a fool.

Sincerely, A