Rise Again

     We come into this world as blank slates, capable of anything-- everything, and as we grow, there are a variety of things that shape us.  Our parents, our environment, the culture we are born into, and the world around us lend their hands toward creating the base for the person we might become.

     Gradually, we become aware as an individual, and we lend a hand toward crafting ourselves; The books we read, the shows we watch, the friends we choose, and the unique things our brains think each moment all strengthen and grow each individual personality.

     We go out into the world, and we acquire schooling, and jobs, and the weight of the world sometimes becomes a burden, and sometimes, the world sets us free in a way we didn't know was possible.

     We are constantly changing, constantly in a state of flux.  Our every next breath is not even assured to us, and yet, with a surprising amount of tenacity, we persevere.  We as a race rise again and again to fight head on against the things that would destroy us, and we laugh as we do so.

     Like the phoenix, we must either die or be reborn, and I, for one, will always choose to rise again, made anew at the trials I have faced, reborn into this world stronger and more beautiful for all the agonies I have endured.