Melting Snow

Wildcard Thursday: Bullying, Bitter-Sweet Life, Moving On

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Life's River

The stream polished lava stone,
Is carved by diurnal motion;
Water flowing alone,
To the eternal ocean.

Metaphor for the human soul,
Imprisoned in matter's dream;
While spirit's unseen goal,
Attracts the water of the stream

which flows over
hidden stones to give birth.
Life's swift flowing river
borne from cradled stone's mirth.

Life's river flows toward the sea,
Transporting objects that float free,
In its swift current.
The rides isn't pleasant;
It's not meant
To be free.

The wildcard Thursday prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" 
Bullying. Is there a place for it, and if so, why?

Putting Bullying in Its Place

There is never a place for bullying. Bullying, in my opinion, is an indication of low self-esteem, narcissism or xenophobia. I checked the website Bullying Statistics1 to answer the question "Why do People Bully?" According to that article there are eight reason given for bullying: (1) "Cultural Causes", (2) "Institutional Causes", (3) "Social Issues", (4) "Family Issues", (5) "The Bully's Personal History", (6) "Power", (7) "Provocative Victims", and (8) "Unreliable Reports".2 Since that article is based on a scientific study, I'm presuming that it covers most of the obvious causes of bullying.

I know from experience that bullying can be devastating to the person being bullied. I was bullied in my Junior High (Middle School) years and I'm still dealing with the affects today. I've never been a bully so I can't say how it affects the bullier. The only thing I can do is help stop the bullying, which brings me to one possible place for bullying. That is in a short story or novel about bullying and the way it influences the life of the person being bullied.

The "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompt for Day 872
"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." Emily Dickinson How do you feel about this?

Bitter-Sweet Life

I agree that we only get one chance to live on the material plain. Does that make life sweet? Yes and No. If we use the one life we have to acquire the spiritual abilities our souls need to thrive on the spiritual plain we reap the sweetness of this physical, this material existence. If, on the other hand, we use our time here for selfish pursuits then the outcome is bitter. Because in the spiritual realm we will have a difficult time without the spiritual attributes we were supposed to acquire on this plain of existence. And to make matters worse we will know that it is our own faults we did not acquire those attribute while we had the chance. Fortunately, God forgives. In addition, those still living on the material plain can assist those who have passed beyond by praying for them.

On the plain of matter
life is bitter-sweet
descending through the years
like water over Niagara Falls.

The "Blogging Circle of Friends "  prompt for DAY 1352
So I just moved into my very first apartment. Tell me about the first time you moved out on your own. It can be into a dorm, or into a place with roommates, or when you first got an apartment or house that was yours (ALL YOURS!) If you haven't gotten to that point, tell me about your dreams for when you DO get to that point and if you are planning, then what you're planning for (just a small apartment while you climb the corporate ladder, or a dorm shared with others while you get your degree, something else?) Use your creativity and paint the picture of what this looks like for your readers.

Moving On

Moving is a traumatic experience because it means leaving stuff behind. Every time I have changed States or residences I have left something behind. Sometimes it was inadvertent and sometimes it was on purpose. Moving across state lines or across town is a way of letting go of yesterday, of moving on. It is life's way of preparing us for the final move in our lives which is leaving the material plain of existence and ascending into the spiritual plain. Moving teaches us that nothing in life is permanent and that sometime holding onto stuff keeps us from achieving our full potential as human bings.

Footnotes
1  http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/
2  http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/why-do-people-bully.html