Joy

"No dark fate determines the future. We do. Each day and each moment, we are able to create and re-create our lives and the very quality of human life on our planet. This is the power we wield."

-The Book of Joy (Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu)

Katy Perry

I am currently having a statement I heard flash through my head. I can't remember who said it, but it stuck with me. He was a smart man and he said something along the lines of, "God help you if you take life lessons from a Katy Perry song."
I didn't think too much of the statement at the time, but over the past few months it has stuck. I want to know why, why can't we take inspiration in whatever form it comes in?
I think there is the misconception that if you have money, you don't understand the struggle. If you have money your emotions are no longer valid. Nobody ever sees the work, just the results, so it makes it easy to dismiss. But, why? Do we really believe that anyone can just become famous without putting any kind of effort in? I think we can all agree that it doesn't work that way.
While I don't know Katy Perry's whole story, I have heard that she came from a deeply religious family with very strict views. That she started singing seriously when she was nine, and released a Christian album when she was a teenager. When that fell through she kept going. It took over a decade of hard work, to keep going when others were telling her to give up. It took breaking away from her parents views and stepping into being the person she wanted to be. It took stamina.
So if you listen to a song of hers and you can say "I am a fucking firework," then take it. If you don't hear a message in her songs, that's fine too. But can we agree that it isn't fair to dismiss the inner strength it took for her to get where she is? And that in itself is inspirational.
I believe this goes for people in general, everyone's life has value, even if they place their values in a place that is different than what you value.
If we can realize that your or my right to be on this earth is just as valid as another person, then we can begin to support each other. Hearing their stories instead of focusing on the small picture that we see of another person's life. This is life, and it's amazing and hard and we all have an equal right to live it.