As I Grow Older...

I see things in a different light.
The world is no longer all about me and my needs,
its about me and my role to play in the web.
I can see that every action and reaction I make affects the world around me.
I learn that nearly all problems can be overcome,
but not all.
You should be kind to people so they'll be kind to you,
but they can't walk on you.
You must learn to communicate with strangers,
but keep a wary eye.
And you cannot learn what true happiness is
without experiencing true despair.
We learn that not all things are as easy as some make them seem,
and that we too will make some things seem easy.
We will be hurt,
and we will hurt people.
We will hurt people intentionally and by mistake.
Sometimes we won't even know what we've done to someone unless they tell us up front.
In essence, humans are ignorant jerks,
that are constantly fighting with each other to gain,
when we should be fighting the true trials of the world.
Everything changes as we grow.
I have learned to love without mercy, without restraint, without boundaries.
I have learned that to heal someone is not to take away their problem, but to help them learn to deal with it.
I have learned not only to stand up for those I care for, but also for those I dislike.
I have also learned that I will not always put all my knowledge to good use, and will sometimes become absorbed in myself for my own wisdom.
I know that I have faults, and I'm not afraid to admit them.
Some of these faults are becoming irritated when others refuse to accept and admit their faults, and I end up looking like an ass, or that I cannot let some things go as I would like to, and claim to.
But in the end,
I must keep moving,
because a river cannot dwell, for the ocean awaits.