I . XIX . XCIV

When you were born, the world was forever changed. I hope you have understood it as evident, then, that without you, the world would not have been whole. And though things are not always pretty, the beautiful is ever present. This earthly existence neither can, nor should be without cause for grief; for sadness, and pain, and want, are building blocks of experience and understanding. As such it then becomes a matter of convoluting action and perspective. Though it may sound strange to you, I can be nothing but appreciative of this life that has dragged me through loss and depression. I can be nothing but grateful for the pain and sadness I’ve dually faced, and yet to face. Inside of this body lies a predisposition to mental illness. Ingrained in my upbringing I find perverse stubbornness, ignorance, fear, isolation, misunderstanding and loneliness, but by examination of the self I can both surpass these qualities, and identify and understand them within others.