No one knows what it's like.

It's odd to remember my personal battles as I grew up as I watch others fight with those same battles. It's interesting that many people who've known me only a little while don't believe me when I try to tell them what kind of person I once was.

... to be fated, to telling only lies.

There are times when I think of myself as just another person in the world, and there are other times when I wonder if there's something about me that's
inherently different, or at least unusual.

I remember being younger and seeing Pink Floyd's The Wall. The impact it had on me was profound, because for the first time I came face to face with the fact that I wasn't the only one.

No one bites back as hard, on their anger.

I guess music has that power. It's a medium that you accept because of the tune and the mood, but then you notice the words and suddenly something has slipped past your defenses and made an impact.

But my dreams aren't as empty.

So it seems now that I've passed the torch on to a younger generation. I've left the frustration, self-imposed loneliness, and self-abasement behind. I guess I expect that others stuck in that self-imposed prison will escape it as easily as I did, but it doesn't seem to be the case. This is the part where I start to wonder if there isn't something special about me -- some superior quality that allowed me to escape.

If you're read this far, you should know some facts:
* Most people do know what it's like.
* You are not fated to do anything, your life is yours to control.
* It's easier to be happy than it is to be miserable.
* Other people are people too, with flaws, many just like yours.
* You are a good person. That doesn't change because you make a few mistakes or let people down now and again.

I'd rather not pass this torch on. Nobody should have to suffer like I did learning these lessons. In reality, there is no torch passing, it's simply a younger generation fighting the same battles we all fight growing up, but it feels as if I've failed them somehow. That somehow I should be able to explain how much happiness they're wasting, and how much time is being lost when it only takes a minor change in attitude to simply escape.

The bars are spaced so wide that they present no real barrier. It's only in your mind that you're trapped in a cage.

Why couldn't I understand when I was young? Why can't I communicate it now that I'm past it?

Perhaps I should write a song.