"Listen, things are not what they appear."

Title: "How About You"

Artist: Staind

if someone else showed you the way
would you take the wheel and steer?
it hurts me that you're not ashamed
of what you're doing here
if they jumped off a bridge
would you meet them on the ground?
or would you try and claim
that it never made a sound

everyone plays the hand they're dealt
and learns to walk through life themselves
not everything in life is handed on a plate
when people think your words are true
it doesn't matter what you do
i sold my soul to get here
how 'bout you?

so you choose to force your hand
what a strange way to make friends
and you always change the rules
so the drama never ends
and you blindly go through life
judging only by its worth
just try not to forget
that the meek inherit earth

so please don't take offense
this is just a point of view
cuz i'm the only one who
will say these things to you

This song hits me in so many ways that i felt i needed to share, the song is sung by a band named Staind, a group who through appearance would not be a band that just anyone would listen to. Heavy rock comes from most of their workings, but i picked up their "14 Shades of Grey" album(which i'm sure is copyrighted so please respect) despite the parental advisories all over the cover I use them as an example to promote how the most unseeming or different of people can still teach a good message to those who are willing to listen.

This song opened a lot of images in my head about people that i know or are related to in someway, especially young people i know, that do not look at the world in a good way. This song teaches me to value things as they are and not what it's worth to me or what i would get out of it.

Not to follow crowds, to stand up and be my own person against all other opinions and odds, and not to take advantage of people or befriend them just to get something out of them.

WORK and work hard for what you want in life and hold true to your word. Have a conscience and feel bad for things that you do so you know when its wrong and you can make it right. So many in this world go through life doing tasks and deeds that hurt people or do not benefit anyone but themselves, and there is hardly any remorse and if there is any shown it's usually empty and fake.

Your not always going to get your way and you can't manipulate people to do so, it may work on smaller, weaker souls that you pass through this world but one of these days reality is going to hit and hit really hard and your going to go up against someone stronger and not manipulatable and your fantasy world is going to come crashing down all around you. Leaving you with a big mess of lies and manipulations to clean up and a lot of people very hurt and mad at you, then you'll really feel what it's like to be alone and unliked.

Most people manipulate reality as a defense mechanism against themselves, so that they don't have to be real and take the risk of learning what people really think of them. If they control people's actions then they can control there reactions, so you think.

Be real, if people don't like you for who you are then they don't need to be your friend.

Respect everything, do not take advantage of what you or anyone else has, it may not last.

Know people for who they are not who you want them to be. If you don't like who they are - don't judge them or try to change them, just call it a draw and just don't hang around them.

There are no short cuts and even though you might think you have found them, it just makes life harder for tomorrow by shortening the task for today.

Work, things are not be handed to you for the rest of your life.

Just be YOU...

and maybe pick up this album, there are other pretty good songs on there as well..