What I Would Like

A Poem by Hunter Zabbai

Dear People:

Every now and again, do you ever stop your stressful, busy day and just think: How far has the world really come? How advanced are we? How much actual good effort and work is put out there, why is intellectualism on steady decline, why are we continuously being driven by fear and pretty petty words from false prophets?

The world is not as it seems.

Maybe, take a chance to look at things from a different point of view, instead of being afraid of what is different, which is why we, as a people(including myself), as a race, as a f*****g CIVILIZATION cling on to what we know, always wanting change, hope, freedom, looking to the future but holding tightly on our dear fond memories and rituals WE made and WE are accustom too, so f**k the others because I don't understand it and am too incompetent/ignorant enough to at least(to a bare f*****g minimum) to be open-minded to other cultures, and realize, they are you. There is another you in Mexico. There is another you in Africa. There is another you in Iraq. There is another you in America.

Look at how much debt every city, state, country, business, and person is.

Look at how much money the world has spent on military, global defense, arms, and all related costs for the last ten years. How many people have been killed/injured because of war/militia/terror/murder/hate/greed/indifference? How many people where physically involved in the last ten years in military/defense systems/war profiteering?

Don't take my word for it, do your own research, create your own thesis.

Ready?

Now, calm down. Easy, easy. Breathe for just a second. I know, if you are just like me, which means you are a human being, this might seem quite frustrating and appalling how content we are with not addressing these facts. It seems every news show, given a slight few(props Jon Stewie and Stephen Colberr and many others who I do not have enough time to mention here and influenced me to bleed my heart out into this), enjoy dwelling on miniscule arguments and tid-bits, completely unrelated to the subject at hand. It's ratings, it's flashy, it's personality, not journalism. Say no to this. Just say no. Well, we figured out that won't work, especially when you drill it into peoples minds. In retrospect, nothing ever really seems to work out like that.

You cannot force someone to accept your views/culture.

And the same for them.

Only you can change you.

So where do we go from here? This is why this movement is different, if you call it a movement. I don't have a word yet for what this is, because I didn't feel it was necessary to waste my precious time that I have left on this earth stressing over a name of something so much bigger.

This is different.

What I propose, is nothing.

What I would like, is this:

This is not me pushing any idea on you. I simply want you to give my side a chance, and allow my view as an option to anyone looking for some direction to go, but doesn't know exactly where to focus their energy.

What I would like is a different people.

I would like people to look at the numbers of all the money spent and people involved in the last ten years military-related. I want you to be open to the idea that people/countries around the world are in debt because we made ourselves in debt, (planned obsolescence) people are poor, hungry, thirsty, dying, disease-struck, and we turn a blind eye to them with our Jersey Shore.

I would like people to question. Why? Exactly. If we never question anything, we will never learn, never grow, never expand, only remain content with our current situation/lifestyle. Question what your peers say. Question the news. Question the leaders and the laws and the way things are run.

I would like to see us not classify someone as Italian, or taller, or skin and bones, or foreigner, or towel-head, or different. Why are you so worried about ethnicity/race? We should be proud that we are humans, and we are born on earth, not where we were born specifically. We don't even get that choice, you don't choose to be born in a country, to look a certain way, to be a specific color, so why do we STILL as a society bicker over this? If we could open our minds, our hearts, our hands, and our homes to people, not other races, not people who are different, not in-laws, but people, because they are people, just for that simple fact, we would be going on the right track.

I would like to see what would happen if the next ten years, people gave up on fighting, gave up on military, gave up on war, gave up on greed, gave up on anger, on selfishness. If all the money, and all the people involved, and all the time spent, diverted from militarism/in the name of self-defense, what could we accomplish? We'd have people who were focused on war and war only being involved in society, a beneficial one, working to better their brothers and sisters, because they are doing the same for them. All those resources, what could we do? Clean water all the world around? Proper education/food/medicines/public services to the unprivileged? And, if we aren't constantly worried about a debt or a force taking us over or war or famine or terror or fear or oil or military spending, how would we treat other people? I honestly don't know. But my hypothesis is things would not be the same.

I would like to see a better people, living better lives, being better to each other, being better to the earth, hell, being better to themselves. This is what I imagine everyday. People no longer living in a rush, shoveling fast-food as if it was prepared in an organic garden, able to respect, help, and love their fellow people, because they are just the same as them. A society, no, an Earth where the inhabitants better themselves, and their others, and the future generations to come.

I would like to see YOU be the change you want to see. I would like for YOU to want to live a better life. I would like for YOU to take a break out of your day, five minutes at most, and stop and look at the news. Do you believe what you are being told? Do you believe what the journalists are saying? Never believe anything to be true unless YOU believe it is true. Let your heart be at ease with your mind. They both can be very strong and influential, but together, they work in harmony. This is how I would like the world to be. In Harmony.

I know this process will not be easy. I've accepted that. I've accepted that I might not actually see the day my dream unfurls, as many have dreamt the same dream I have. This does not concern me, nor should it concern you.

I will be relentless.

I will work diligently.

I will remember there are others out there.

I will remember that I am not perfect, but that should not stop me from wanting to improve.

I will do more for others than for myself.

I will not back down in the face of threats, or violence.

I will remain peaceful for peace, loving love, and humble.

I will remember that I is not the most important word in this sentence.

I am not a radical. I am not an extremist. I am not a leader. I am a person. A nineteen year old. With a dream. With a crazy, crazy dream. I've always been told this was a crazy dream I had. Well.

I am pro-human. I am for life. I am for peace.

I'm not asking for support, or money, or radical movements, or riots, or followers.

I am asking for openness. I am asking for awareness. I am asking for peace.

Have you ever dreamt of a world, where people got along, and we didn't care about what we were wearing or who was on T.V. or who we are going to war with next or what color someone's skin/eye/car/dog/cell phone is, and we got along in harmony?

Everyone's dreams can become reality.

We can achieve peace and harmony together.

Only together, will we succeed.

Everything else is futile.

Talk to people. Converse. Make bridges instead of burning them. It's bad for the environment anyway.

So all I am saying, is always think for yourself, don't even let what I AM SAYING influence you, unless you CHOOSE to be influenced by this, unless you CHOOSE to believe what I have presented before you, and think about giving this peace thing a chance.