A period of reflection,
evaluation of myself,
that is where I sit this very night.
Questioning the mind
and all that is stored in it.
Information that has been passed
from one person to another.
Generations breeding and building,
each one instilling their values
and beliefs into the next.
Not all of the presets in my mind
came from my father.
Influences came from every angle.
Things surrounding me,
personal experiences,
and people I knew as a child.

Many things I have supported
and staunchly believed in for years,
are now under my microscope.
What am I teaching my children,
what am I passing on that is
worthy of being passed on.
I wonder what my children and others children
are taking from me as their own.
I know sometimes there are things within
that even I wish were not part of me.
A few things should of died during my
great-grandfathers lifetime or even before.
Yet here they are today,
in me, and so many others.

If we are to forgive, we must forget.
Anger breeds hate, hate gives birth to war,
war and peace cannot coexist.

Wars are still raging today
that have been burning for centuries.
Ask either side why,
the answer is always the same.
They hate each other for things that
happened between long dead generations.
Things that transpired before anyone alive
was conceived, things that have been passed on.

Wisdom is the ability to grow while moving forward.
That growth will bring forth positive change.
If we aspire to achieve changing
our individual selves,
then the world, one person at a time,
can become a better place.

It has to start somewhere.
We are all accountable,
to, and for each other.

I am personally changing, growing.
I refuse to pass on
the sins and hatreds
of our forefathers any longer.

09/12/2003

Author's Note: I owe many people an apology for things I have said, done, and taught others during my life. This poem is personal, it is me and the road I am on now. It is not just about hate, war and anger, but every aspect of my life. This poem, self-reflection was inspired by a song by Switchfoot, "Meant to Live." The closing verse says; "We want more than this worlds got to offer, we want more than this worlds got to offer, we want more than the wars of our fathers. Everything inside, screams for second life."

Posted on 09/12/2003
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