Life, at times, can feel so unreal, so unnatural, as if it were all a dream—your whole life spent fast asleep between warm, safe, comforting sheets. Occasionally you stumble upon a nightmare, something so hideous, so torturous, that it could not possibly be real. Therefore we become an audience, watching the Great Play unfold before our eyes. We laugh, we cry—all on cue, but we do not feel, at least not truly. We are numb, whether by our own devise or by that of a force far greater than that which we posses. Forever trapped in that lethargic state wondering will we ever wake up? When dos this all start? When do I earn the chance to feel?

Any emotion would suffice, for by this time we grow weary of sleep, weary of the ever hazy dream. People need something tangible, something to feel whether it be the burning sensation of salty tears, or the slight discomfort of smiling one too many times. Our whole life, years written off as meaningless, until that one day when we finally wake up and see the world in all its vibrant colors. Yet how does one awaken? What is this catalyst that has the power to awaken the dead? Do we not have control of our own life?

Ah, the crux of our wonderings, contrived into one simple, honest question. Do we have control of our lives? The question, innocent as it may sound, scares us. It scares us because of one simple truth; whatever the answer may be we will always fear. It is not the mystery that scares us, it is the answers. Well shall fear if an omnipresent power controls us, be it fate or destiny or God himself, for everyone is afraid that their life is not their own. Everything is out of our hands, we a merely puppets on stage, controlled by a figure we can not distinguish—the idea scares us more than we let on. On an equal level is the fear of being alone, the fear that no one can help you but yourself. If your life is not all you imagined it to be and you are branded a screw up the blame rests solely on you. There is no God, no divine intervention that will save you.

There is no great answer; we will fear a higher power, and the power within ourselves. We may try to hide it, cover it up beneath a series of facades and smiles, but it will always be there. It resides within your heart surfacing from time to time just when you began to believe it had vanished forever, and it is only when we conquer our fear that we begin to wake up.

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And for more pieces of wisdom here are some quotes my friend Vicki and I had to write in our AP English class today in order to practice writing the different types of parallel structure:

To look too closely is folly; to ignore is shortsighted; to use the information gained is wisdom.

Alas the future is uncertain and we are not psychic.

Books are as abundant here as leaves on a tree in fall.

(my personal favorite) When blood is shed, when night overtakes day, and when tyranny seizes the throne, all who have ever known freedom will be lost to the dark.

(Vickis fav) He kept her locket and her heart.