There is no one in the world who has a mind to think with that has not asked themselves "Why?" I don't mean any specific why, but why everything. Why are people different colors? Why do we destroy the Earth when we know that to do this is to destroy ourselves? Why are we here at all?

Everyone needs to believe that they are here for a reason, even if the reason is just to live for the sake of living, which may be the best reason of all. Without a reason to live, the world is cold, and day-to-day life is painful and tiring.

There was a time when I felt that life was not worth the pain, and every day it got harder to wake up, to face my friends who understood me (although I would not admit it to myself), and to fight the everyday problems that are a part of life. It was the fight that began to give me a reason to live. The fight just to stay alive was the reason I was staying alive. I told myself that I would survive at any cost, and I did.

Now, I know why I am here. I am here to live life as it is, to learn about myself, understand myself: why I fight everything and everyone; why I am sexist (against men); why I love the people I do. As long as we understand ourselves and love ourselves for what we are, we don't need a universal reason to live. We can all make our own reasons, anything that keeps us from feeling unimportant and unloved.

By educating ourselves and understanding other peoples' beliefs and values, we can stop being afraid of what we don't know or what isn't familiar to us. When we stop being afraid (and fear can make us hateful), we can stop hurting other people and use that energy to help ourselves. Our own energy that comes from concentrating and thinking can be used to change the world, and make it a place where people can learn about themselves and understand why they are alive.n