Reality.

We all want a happy ending.  We want to fall in love, and have that troubled something get in our way, only to overcome it and end up living a glamorous (or not so glamorous) life with this shining knight in armor.  Dreams, and hope, are what keeps us running.  At least it's what keeps me running.  I dream of many things which are right now just beyond my grasp.  Things that in my mind, if I got, would make me happy; at peace.  I think that it's reality that runs us down.  As children, we are oblivious to what lies ahead.  To how things really are.  And when we grow older (and supposedly wiser) we see things for the way they really are.  Yes, some people have good intentions, but most do not.  Everyone has a dark side, some just hide it better than others.  And worst of all, when you grow up, you find out about all the lies and deceit that have gone on for years around you, that you just didn't know about.  We all are prey to the natural man.  It takes us, wraps us up tight, and keeps us captive.  Until one day we don't want to feel suffocated anymore.  How then do we escape?  How can we take this disgusting reality and make it into something worth living?  

I feel like there's a way to do this, I just don't know what it is yet.  The generic answer would obviously be "immerse yourself in the gospel".  Which yes, will help.  But I think that a lot of people don't realize that you have to really immerse yourself.  And by that I mean you not only have to read and pray and all that jazz, but you have to make it a part of you.  A change of heart is necessary to overcoming this harsh reality we live in.  If we can experience this...well, I feel as though we won't care anymore.  Bad things will happen, but if we are so immersed in the good things of life, that would sort of cancel out all the bad things (one would hope).  

Selfishness is the problem with this world.  People who do drugs, and ruin families because of their addictions, are originally selfish.  Addictions are real.  And they're definantly powerful.  But if you have this wonderful life (even with the harsh realities), why would you choose choosing a drug over raising your children?  How could you do that?  These children have yet to find out about the harsh realities of the world...but because of your actions, they're thrown into it.  And when they realize that...how are they supposed to know what to do with it?  How do they learn to love the ones who raised them, while still loving the one who abandoned them.  I guess the question is, how do they face reality in an unselfish manner, so that they do not make the same mistakes that caused them to be so bitter in the first place?

How can we learn to unconditionally love in a world full of hurt?