“My sadness hasn’t died and I hope that she doesn’t die in spite of the pain.”
Why do we take reminders of useful and beautiful things? The sticky note has an endless list of shopping goods; the reminder to friends that all we want from their Japanese trip is a single petal of a Cherry Blossom; the long trail of pictures from the last vacation. We want to remember these things; but, the same cannot be said for horrifying things. For the sake of our sanity, we run far from fears. We avoid mentioning past humiliation. We deflect uncomfortable pasts.
The good and wrong should be sandwiched together. These should be how life is taught to the younger generation. The sadness over time would muffle its cries and morph into a gentle whisper of strength. This is why Es Que Yo Soy El Kamikaze Japonés and La Sagrada Familia, written by Author David Castells Angelet, wants the youth to wield haunting memories as future survival and growth tools. Pain is inevitable but so are you.
Hurt is excruciatingly ordinary. Getting hurt physically, emotionally, psychologically may take your breath away for the moment. This moment sucks, and it’s even worse when you know you are on the losing side. But hold on. Breathe and live. Do what it is legally and procedurally right to avenge your dignity. But first, breathe. You may have gotten hurt. You may have inflicted hurt, and you may have helplessly watched while someone is getting hurt: live through it. You know what to do, whether that’s to recuperate, ask forgiveness, or stand up to what you deem to be right.
Confusion is another inescapable pain. The kind of pain that is draining to your psyche. The mind games just don’t seem to stop, and when you realize what is going on all along, you face the daunting checkmate. Whether it’s your math test, outfit of the day, or catastrophizing what people are thinking: being confused is exhausting. Whether the stakes are high or low, you still have to make decisions that, in one way or another, will affect your future. That in itself can lead you down a very confusing rabbit hole.
An old saying goes, “there are three people you must not forget in your life: those who helped you when you are cornered, those who fought you when you are vulnerably cornered, and those who set you up to a corner in the first place.” It is easy to feel cornered in today’s world.
Why do you think the rates of suicide are so high? When you feel that the whole world is watching you online or offline, it can be suffocating. The audience has expectations, and you feel burdened to deliver what is more of you than you possibly could at the moment.
Despite these three painful things the youth must undergo to be their best selves, author David Castells Angelet has the aptest advice for all of them. “My truthfulness is known for God and humanity but it isn’t all the truth and I would like to know all the truth to grow and to learn even though it may hurt sometimes.” Running to God when all seems for naught—calling to Him when your heartaches. Knowing He listens and answers on your darkest day as He does on your brightest. The author himself has gone through the unimaginable and has first-hand experience in imparting that life’s most challenging scenarios are best to combat with God’s leading. You may not always be at your best; but, God always is.
Torrents of pain cannot be divorced in this life. Once you know what to expect and Who to run to when this life starts to feel like life, you can greet the pain with a humble, “Hello.”
For more, check out the newly launched website of David Castells Angelet at https://www.davidcastellsangelet.com/
Comments