Just because

Yes, I am a ‘teen mum.

‘But not like those teen mums you see glorified on tv for their immature, disrespectful, outrageous and downright stupid behaviour. I personally do not like the ‘reality tv’ shows ‘teen mom’ and ‘teen mom 2.’

If you have seen these ‘reality tv’ shows then you will know what I mean – unless you like or support this kind of ‘reality tv’ show, then fair enough – please don’t be offended because I do not agree with this behaviour being showcased as typical ‘teenage mother’ behaviour.

I know exactly what it is like to be looked down upon for being a teen mother, and tv shows like these do not help with that. I do however come from a place where being eighteen and having a child is completely acceptable, as eighteen is when you are considered an ‘adult’ in the eyes of the law and most people outside of the law.

The big one-eight, your ultimate ticket to ‘adulthood’ is sitting in your purse and has been for 2 years (if you obtained your learners permit or p plates when you were 16) for you to call upon it in times of need – when being asked the question

“Can I see your ID please?”

A question that is not only daunting but most exciting for those underaged and newly deemed ‘adult.’

I am reflecting upon this because this year I will be turning twenty. You would think I would be less excited than what I am, considering I am getting older, but I am really excited – why? Well for two reasons actually; a trip to Thailand and to finally be rid of the title ‘teen mum.’

Now don’t get me wrong (just throwing it our there that ‘don’t get me wrong’ is an interesting way of saying ‘don’t get the wrong Idea’ or ‘please don’t jump to conclusions’) I love my children to bits, and to put it across honestly – falling pregnant at 17 ideally saved my life from what could have been a dangerous path to further drug abuse and a potential premature death.

A lot of people say “things happen for a reason” but they don’t really. I used to catch myself saying this as a way to justify everything; break ups, bad decisions I had made, things going missing ect. But really, I didn’t fall pregnant because it was ‘meant to happen’ at a socially unacceptable age – I fell pregnant because I did the normal healthy thing – have sex, only I didn’t use protection… Again.

That doesn’t mean I would change my decision, it only means I have recognised something that not many people my age recognise. The decisions you make are that of your own carelessness aren’t ‘meant to be’ or ‘fate’ they are just because you made it that way, just because you chose to do it regardless of the consequences… Just because.

Isn’t that what life is about, just because? Maybe learning to accept ‘what is’ can be one of the meanings.

Nobody knows the meaning of life, we go through so much in our time on the forever changing earth, but do we really stop and wonder these things? Maybe the meaning of life is just that… Not to wonder, not to care, and just live and turn a blind eye most and call it ‘fate.’

I don’t think so – but it’s what most of us do.

In every culture you will find stories -of gods- of sky beings- of he who came from the sky/heavens-gods on flying carpets- on ‘vestmas’- in space ships- on rockets- on planes- on dragons- on horsesThey have:- animal heads- animal bodies- human heads- oversized ‘alien like’ heads-similar storiesBut one thing in common

– the promise of death and judgment

“Follow my rules, do my bidding and reap the rewards after you pass from this life.”Is that the meaning of life? To follow a book, to have faith in our cultures god, to follow the rules – that of which god created and that of which man came along, took some out and put more in?

Take infidelity for example, punishable by god – acceptable by humans… How does that make sense at all?But drugs on the other hand, are so  bad and horrible that we must lock people away, for using and supplying, for life and throw away the key…Or an even better example, Americans constitutional right to own a gun, because if someone is trying to hurt you, you have the right to hurt them worse, even kill them?And what about war?”We’re fighting for world peace” they say – well no, your just fighting because it makes money and is thrilling, how many wars have happened since man walked the earth? Yeah exactly.Have we achieved world peace yet?Have we all accepted that maybe there might be more than one god or maybe no god?Have we taken into account all the different story’s?Are we all really “for the people” or just for ourselves?

‘Fighting for world peace’ is stupid because fighting does not result in peace at all, it results in billions of lost lives just so the greedy can prosper. War is created for money, fuelled by money – ultimate goal? Well that’s to have more money of course. Excuses for wars? Religion, world peace, “that country is a threat to our country” – so that’s fear. Just because one small group of people want to kill a few of us… So what do we do? Oh I know lets kill them all.

We will kill their mothers, we will kill their fathers, their children and their teachers, we will kill their friends and their pets, oh yes don’t forget their pets, we must not forget them. We will blow up their schools because modern education is evil and we will blow up their houses because they should live I’m the slums if they survive that is.Why?Well they apparently kills thousands of people in our country so it is perfectly ok for us to play god and take the guilty and innocent lives, place them in our line of fire and kill them all… Oh but they started it so its ok.

Billions of dollars will be spent to fuel this war guys, we don’t need more education so cut that, we need the money for military forces, health care funds? What we don’t need that, they will die sometime anyway, we need the money for new guns. The homeless? They’re just a burden, might as well send them front of the line, so our soldiers can be safe… Yes we may need more hospitals and doctors but we need the money to fuel this century’s war first… Then we will have world peace, these other things can wait.

Sorry to break it to you guys but the only way to achieve world peace is to get off your high horse and stop fighting.

Much like the decision to have a child young… You just have to suck all that pride back in, stop being selfish, accept it for what it is, spend less on nothing and more on something that you spent 9-10 months growing inside you and become at peace with the world you live in.

War may continue, the wicked will continue to prosper, the poor will continue to be seen as a burden on society, the homeless will still be seen as worthless scum and world peace is nothing but a dream.

But this year I will be twenty, I have two kids, I have no home I call ‘my own’ and hardly anything in the bank because of forever paying bills. One thing is surtain though – I am at peace with the world and I accept it and everyone, exactly how it is…

Why?

Well just because.
“Inspired from the book ‘the thing you think you cannot do… thirty truths about fear and courage’ written by Gordon Livingston, M.D. Author of the international best seller ‘too soon old, too late smart’