Dear World,

I know that many people probably write to you, and many people probably ask you questions on a regular basis, so I'm actually not expecting you to get back to me on all these questions/thoughts anytime soon. I just feel the need to put them out there because...you never know what's going to happen if you do, right?
Right. So anyway, I'd like to start by asking: What in the world have you come to? It seems that in the decade that has come to pass things have gone from normal to...absolutely chaotic.
We have war--and for what? Oil. Why? I remember when I was 8, only a decade ago, gas was about a dollar for a gallon. Now we have soldiers from opposite ends of the world fighting for something that no one is sure they really believe in anymore. We have brothers, and fathers from all walks of life and all ethnic backgrounds fighting for control of something that doesn't really add up when held in account with human life.
Since when does a barrel of oil amount to being worth a human life? Are people really that expendable?

And what's going on with all this environmental stuff? Do you not know how lucky we all are to have the things that we have? It seems that as these tensions with oil and money rise, so does our environmental conflict. Global warming. Six degrees. World destruction. Floods. Ice age. Etc. Etc. Etc. Why?
Why don't we think about what we're doing before we do it? Why don't we consider the toxins we put into the water, land, air, and each other? Why don't we consider the things that we do to everyone and everything around us? Has logical thought escaped us? Do we not have a general understanding of the concept that for every action there is a reaction to follow it?
We curse and cry when someone dies from cancer or some other terrible disease, but do we ever consider that we could prevent this? That by recycling, not dumping our toxic waste [and limiting the amount of toxic waste we produce to begin with..], and cleaning up after ourselves, we could prevent so many of these troubles?
What about the creatures we share this earth with? Rainforests, forests, mountains, grasslands, savannah, oceans--they all have creatures that dwell within them. Creatures that we kill and make extinct. Plants that we annihilate until they are no more.
Who knows what the value of a life really is? None of us, that's for sure. Whether it's a human life, an animal life, a plant life, or whatever...it's a life regardless.
And I'm not disputing that yes, we need to kill and eradicate [to an extent] to survive. But do we really have to cause the mass destruction that we cause on a daily basis? Do we really have to have ships spilling oil into the water, killing birds, fish, and plants? Do we really have to have fires burning that destroy forests [when they are so limited as it is], and do we have to have acres and acres of rainforest being cut down, even as I type this?
Of course not. So why do we?

Also, why do we fight so much about religion? It doesn't matter if you're buddhist, christian, muslim, catholic, jewish, protestant, wiccan, hindu, gnostic, agnostic, atheist, or anything else. Why can't anyone see that? Personal belief is a personal thing. Why do we feel the need to impose it on other people? Why is it our way or no way at all? Has human nature really become such a corrupt thing? And can I even say "become" considering that we've been fighting over these things since before the year 79?
Why can't everyone worship in their own way? Why can't we give thanks to whatever "god" we want to give thanks to? Why does it matter? If we're being thankful, grateful, and living with morals...how is it bad? Maybe those morals differ from culture to culture, but they are relatively the same in all the important ways. How does all this fighting, war, death, and destruction promote [or even justify] the things you are trying to get across? The means aren't justifying the way. Or however that phrase goes...
Point is, we're all human. As long as we're grateful and treating each other with respect, why do we have to fight about who's version of "religion" and "heaven" and "god" is right?

Also world, I'd like to know what happened to true and honest people. Do we really not live in a world where we can be true, honest, and real? Do we really have to strive so hard to fit the view that the world wants of us? Why do we have to focus so much on money, influence, power, and sex? Those things are good in moderation, but more and more lately they are the drive of our very existence. That's pathetic, and I'm not afraid to say so.
Why don't we focus on charity, personality, conservation, and love? Why can't people be friends? Why do we have to discriminate on basis of gender, religion, sexual orientation, identity, or race? Why can't we appreciate each other for all of our unique qualities and characteristics? Why do we base a woman on how big her breasts are, and why do we base men on his physique and his bank account?

Stereotypes, all of it. What happened to good, honest love? Why is it that so few people experience it? Why is it that people are so hurt these days? Do we have no remorse for our actions? Do we not have a knowledge of right and wrong? Rape, war, hate, violence, abuse...the list goes on. Why do we do these things? Animalistic urges and excuses just aren't cutting it anymore.
It's time for everyone to own up to their responsibilities as human beings and treat each other as they wish to be treated...

And to all of our world "leaders" I have a message for you...

Get your head out of your national bank accounts and whatnot. Stop thinking with your dollar bills and your checkbooks. Start thinking about your people. Start thinking about the people in the countries around you. Start thinking about those who are starving, ill, hurt, destroyed, scared, and living in sub-standard conditions. Start thinking about those who could actually use our energies. Instead of investing them into pointless power struggles over fuel-control, invest them in making the world a better and more stable place. Invest them into humanity. Invest them into each other, and it WILL PAY OFF. If we all help each other instead of hurt each other, things will get so much better! Instead of feeling that we're all going to be stabbing each other in the back, we'll feel that we can rely on each other and count on each other when needed.
And no, I'm not stupid, nor am I naive. I know that there will still be tensions. I know that despite whatever we do, our environment will remain damaged. I know that we'll still struggle for pointless amounts of power. I know that we'll still fight amongst ourselves for dominance.

But come on guys, make an effort. Show your people that you CARE. Show the world that you are WILLING. Show each other that you are not just drones who are here to solely compete with one another. Show each other that you have integrity, honor, and charity in your heart. Show it to each other. Set an example, and your people will be more likely to respect you, follow you, believe in you, and believe in each other [not to mention the world as a whole].

I know that I've only addressed the tip of the iceburg with this letter, but think it over, world. Think about how we treat each other. Think about the footprint that we're leaving. Think about your pride, if you have to. Do you really want to be the world-generation that is remembered for being the most destructive, callous, cruel, nationalistic people ever?
Of course not. No one wants to be remembered for a bad reputation.

So everyone...put in some effort. Smile at each other. Don't judge before you actually know someone. And if you're going to judge, judge on character. Not on skin color, race, religion, political stance, looks, or anything. Judge based on character, and the content of a persons creed [as Dr.Martin Luther King Jr dreamed].
Open doors for one another. Ask each other how you're feeling. Recycle. Treat your planet with respect. If you see trash on the ground, pick it up. Conserve water. Donate to charity. Do something with your life to help others, even if you might not make so much money from it. Don't be lazy, mean, spiteful, hateful, or full of envy.

And I want you all to know, world, that no matter whom you are, or what you are, I like you. Just clean your act up a bit. Be a bit nicer to others, and others will be a bit nicer to you. I have a lot of faith in you and your potential. I know that we can all make a difference, and I know that a single person can start that, so who knows? We'll see how this goes..

Anyway, I hope you get my message, world.


Always,
Lilli Partyka
[age 18, USA]

Opening

So if you chance across this blog, you're probably wondering what the hell I mean by "dear world letters" and whatnot. So let me elaborate.

I created this blog as a way for people to say what they think needs to be said and address it to the world. Because as I see it, I'm tired of people blaming the problems we all face today on one specific group of people. It's not just one group. It's EVERYONE.

I feel that having a blog like this will make it a bit easier for everyone to say what they think needs to be said, and address it to the people they think it needs to be addressed to. I don't think it's fair to persecute one group of people, so by addressing it to everyone, we address the problem as a whole!

We're all people, and we're all here together. It's time that we made some changes. But without knowing what everyone [from all over] thinks is wrong, we can't ever make those changes. So this is my idea. If you have something to say, say it. Write a letter to the world. Start is like you would any other letter:

Ex:

Dear World,
texttexttexttextext, blah blah blah

Fondly/Love/Always/Sincerely
Your name


Though if you don't wish to type your name, at least write where you're from, that way we all have a general idea of who's thinking what, and where they are thinking it from. I think if we all see something like that, we'll all see that our thoughts are mirrored around the world, and that it's not just us. Then, email it to me at: i.could.be.an.angel@gmail.com
I'll publish it in one of the blogs [I'll do a few at a time] and we can see each others thoughts!

:)

Maybe it's a stupid idea. Maybe not. Let's give a whirl!