all we are.

hi there.
who are you?

I see that you're sporting the latest fashions...
what trendy pop-culture magazine did you see that in?
seventeen, elle, tigerbeat?


I see that you're driving and enjoying a brand new car...
how much did that cost your parents?

I noticed that you've got the highest-quality makeup brand...
what air-brushed super[ficial] model inspired you to wear that?

I noticed all the patches adorning your letterman's jacket.
that must make you the hottest guy in school, right?

I hear you're listening to the hottest hits of the 80's, 90's, and today.
what mainstream radio station threw that up on you?


yeah, I see all this stuff.
I see how cool you look,
I see the way you walk,
I hear the way you talk.

but tell me something... listen real close now, alright?

... uh, who are you?


no no no, stop right there.
I know your name, your age, I can guess your height and your shoe size.
your hair color is very obvious, and your eye color too.
I know what you like to do for fun. I know what kind of parties you go to.
I know all the sports you play and what kind of car you drive.
that's not what I asked.

I asked who you are.

I don't want an explanation. I want a conversation.

who you are is not what you wear. it's not the car you drive. it's not the latest trends.
who you are is not the music you listen to or the books you read.

maybe that doesn't leave you much to work with, huh...

well, how's your heart?
what do you dream about when you close your eyes?

what do you think about when you lay in bed at night?

what kind of stories do you tell yourself when no one is listening?

what do you do when no one is watching?

behind closed doors...

what do you hear when all is silent?

what do you stand for?

what do you believe in?

what do you want to be if you grow up?


see, these are the things that define who you are.

those clothes? you won't be wearing them a year from now.
that car? it will break down someday. maybe even get totaled.
that music? the kids will think you're a freak for listening to it. you'll give it up eventually.
the letterman jacket? cool. great. awesome. no one will care in 10 years.
the makeup? it can be a mask.


who we are is determined by our heart and soul.
not the things we have.
material possessions are simply nothing.

maybe it's time to examine yourself. look in the mirror. look past the clothes and the makeup. look past the hair and the teeth. look past everything you see on the outside. search yourself for what you feel. what you see when you close your eyes. the person you dream about being when you lay in bed at night. look towards the things that really matter to you. the things that are important. money? clothes? cars? these things are not important. boyfriends? girlfriends? sex? drugs? alcohol? meaningless. meaningless lies.

I never asked for your body.
I simply wanted a look inside your heart.
a glimpse inside your soul.
that is who you are.
I want to know who you are.
I don't want to get in your pants.
I want to get in your heart.


that's all that matters to me. quit your clothes. quit your make-up. quit your friends that don't care about you. quit the drugs and the drinking. quit trying to impress people. you don't need to justify yourself. let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no.


be truthful.
be open.
be honest.
be faithful.
be loyal.
be accepting.
be loving.

be everything that really matters,
and nothing that doesn't.

cleanse yourself.
straighten out your heart. heal your mind. fix your soul.
we can't do this alone. we must do this together.
for the sake of all that is good and right.
community.
we're all in these things together.

you don't need to please other people with what you look like and how you act.
be yourself. if everyone would just be themselves, we would all be on top of the world. we would all have so much love, so much hope, so much faith.

so much understanding.


so, tell me. who are you?
who are you really?