Morality

Over the course of the years, the population of my town (affectionately called Rhododendron Ridge) has decreased as people have moved away. It's sad, having a neighbor that you've known so well suddenly move away. It's almost become a tradition to leave without telling anyone.

The nickname of our town comes from the fact that when somebody moves away, they place a rhododendron flower on a little shrine out in the woods. It's an old relic dedicated to the sun and the life it gives. Many a lecture is given on the shrine in history class every year. As you could probably guess, I have no love for the shrine. It stands for loss, and that, well... you know.

Past, always the past. Why are we so obsessed with it? We should be looking at tomorrow, not yesterday. We are fools, slaves to our previous actions. It's stupid.

Luckily, one person who has never moved away is my best friend, Kip. She's a big fan of horror stories and the like. Constantly she creates conspiracy theories about Rhododendron Ridge, like the story that a werewolf lives in the forest, or that a ghost lives in the attic of the mayor's house. Silly things like that. Kip is the only thing in my life that brings me joy now. She helps me move on just by existing.

Despite the rumors, I do not have any stronger feelings for her. We are just friends. I don't think I could ever like someone enough in order to really, truly love. Like most things, it's a meaningless word nowadays.

A common misconception is that you have to be able to love to be human. That's not true. To be human is to feel emotions, any emotions. To not be a silent observer, watching the world fall apart around you, not caring and not doing anything. To be human is to care. And sometimes... the line between 'human' and 'inhuman' blurs. Morality is not black and white, it is black and gray and white and blue and orange. The vague areas are ones in the middle and the ones outside the spectrum. You can't really totally define morality; it is a human concept, and like all human concepts, it could change in the future.

We have to look forward to the future.