A prominent business woman in a newly pressed, crisp suit, talking management garber on her phone. A handicapped beggar in a wheelchair, loitering on the edge of the sidewalk, pleading for money. A young, fresh college student on their way toward a coffee shop to begin a class assignment. Walking the streets of Chicago, you get a feel for what life could hold for you. Like any big city, there is the ever present hustle and bustle of everyday lives. In retrospection, all those people have taken a path. The many diverse and juxtaposing roads you could travel down that could take you to being the business woman, or the beggar. Life is a game. Success is the prize. And the losers get thrown to the side. Forgotten. Alone.

In the King James version of the English Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:32 mentions the phrase “let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.” So many people in today's age in society have that same thinking. They believe that “life” is an “one hit wonder” type concept. We all know the internet slang #yolo: you only live once. And while that is true, life should be cherished and appreciated. Not treated like a pair of jeans you wear until they get a hole in them, then tossed out and forgotten about. It is a beautiful gift. We all want to make our mark, but to what lengths will we go to to make that mark, and let life pass us by?

Parosing in a big city like Chicago, I was hit with an unexpected reality check. You can't cruise through life piggybacking off your parents credit card. Soon, we all have to make a choice. The challenging choice to either BE someone, or to stay stuck in the comfortable present, having a myopic view of the future. These are hard decisions. Choices are terrifying, and the future is a lion, lying in wait, stalking its prey. Waiting for the right moment to pounce. But we don't have to be the hunted. We can be the hunter, holding the shotgun of determination. We can grip life by the balls and say "today I am going to live." That is a choice.

Choices define our entire human existence. The British Revolution surmised because one soldier made a choice to fire that first detrimental shot unto what in their minds, was the enemy. The world is full of chaos. We all know this. The world is also full of consequence. From the beginning, humans were making choices, that in turn, resulted in consequences. Eve made the decision to eat the forbidden fruit of the garden. Yes, she chose to eat that fruit. The consequence being the future of mankind condemned to a life of pain and suffering. This is a prime example of cause and effect and how the act of choosing can make or break us.

The fundamental moral compass we are all designed with is broken. Order and structure is a luxury that we today do not have. Sadly, that is our fault. Chaos and destruction is the result of humans making the WRONG choices in life. The influential social hierarchy has survived for centuries upon centuries. Deciding people's worth for them. Wherever you live, if you have any small amount of freedom at all, it has been allotted to you. There will always be a power-hungry someone who wants to rule the universe. Alas, we are all imperfect beings. But, we can be better. We have to be better. Yet, this is a choice.

A man by the name of Stephen Covey stated these poetic words: "We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals." What does this mean? Well, we are the most complicated, intricate, magnificent life form on this entire plant. Our brains are a maze of untold wonders. And yet, we don't take full advantage of the blessing we have up in our head. We possess the ability to think. But often our survival instincts kick in. We let the environment and situation around us change our thinking and attitude. We adapt. We evolve. Humans are an easily modable people, and our deep desire to be accepted and loved may at times control us. We want to be like everyone else, no matter how far lost the core of our own individuality and personality gets lost. Use your power of discernment to make a long lasting life worth living for YOU, not others. It is all about the choices we make.

I am addressing the young minds of today. From second grade children to high schoolers. Call it what you may, make any excuses that you can think of, but sooner rather than later, your time will come. My time is almost here. The clock is ticking to join the never ceasing current of life. And this river does not stop for anyone. This may seem like an article that's just another idealistic wish. True, we all want to make our dreams a reality, to be anyone that we aspire to become. But we all can't ride the dream train. What we can do, is we can make choices in our ripe lives that can lead to happiness and success. The unknown is frightful. The unknown goes against our innate natural instincts. But we are built to be fighters. Let us fight to live good lives.


An Uncertain Future

City lights streaming
Beggars are pleading

The air of importance walks by
But everyone has secrets to hide

Life takes us where it may
But we can decide where our mark lay

Our choices define us
As well as describe us

By our character

Are we a ferrier?
An actor?
A pastor?
A baker?
Building maker?

Whatever you choose
Be determined not to lose

Reach for success
Don't doubt the rest