In the beginning, the earth was full 

The sun shone bright, the sky a perfect blue

Green vegetation covered the earth

A land with no dearth

We were complete and strong

Our people, so tender and young

Love, peace and harmony

That was all we knew

We never tore ourselves apart

No matter how old we grew

Our lives were simple and straightforward

But we remained satisfied

Our earnings were humble, I agree

But was our freedom ever denied?

The little we had

We shared it with one other

Together we strived

To keep our heads above the water

We were one with nature

And nature was one with us

Our children will have it better

The future would be brighter

We hoped and we waited

This was life.

Then came a subtle wave

When we no longer cared

We modernized life for our benefit

We monetized life to satisfy our pride

The arising consequences?

We weren’t so prepared.

To release everyday tension and pressure

We seek reckless thrills, excitement, and pleasure

Anything to take our minds far away

To push today's problems to another day

Me comes before others

As long as we are happy, why bother?

Our personal satisfaction is a priority

Who cares about the minority?

The more we have

The more we want to acquire

Pampering and feeding our hearts

With all of its wicked desires

Our soul set ablaze with corruption and greed

Whatever it takes 

We’ll do to “succeed”

All along, we’ve been wrong.

Deceived, for far too long.

We are who society says we are.

In silent acquiescence

We succumb to her merciless demands

Craving public acceptance

Desperate for approval

We live our lives in deceit and pretense

Never fully learning how to live freely,

And for ourselves.

Penetrating through the tender heart of the forests

Slashing our way to make cities and towns

Oblivious to the numerous species that call this their home

Not bothered by the mass destruction we cause all around

The skies are filled with acrid smoke

The air, thick and stale

Thick smog pervades throughout the land

Our ozone layer, now weak and frail

This chaos and strife

All in the name of a better life.

The earth screams,

“ENOUGH!” 

From the four corners of the world

She raises her voice

And addresses the human race

But we choose to ignore,

This is what life has become.

Then behold, I looked into a new world.

A world where we were designed to help one another

Everyone a father, daughter, and brother

Flourishing in diversity,

Bounded In unity,

One big happy family,

We were all the same.

None condemned or put to shame

Discrimination and prejudice we overcame

Yes, the sun smiled again

But even at that,

Life wasn’t a perfect game.

There were good times and bad

Glorious triumphs and woeful defeats

Pleasant summer sunshine and dark winter nights

It was all so bittersweet

But, we faced it together.

We cherished the good moments

And learned to dance in the rain

Surpassed boundaries,

Embraced new possibilities,

We smiled and endured 

In times of loss and pain.

With every passing day,

We learned to persevere.

To speak up

Not back down.

To stand out

Not blend in.

We stopped searching for happiness

Knowing it had always dwelt within.

Folks,

Life won’t always be easy

But I’ve realized that;

When we learn to make every second count,

To slow down and enjoy the ride

When we cherish those things that matter most to us

And vow solemnly never to let them go

Only then can we truly understand

The true meaning of life.