Today, I'm going to tell you what the rose teaches us about life. We deny that roses have thorns when we display them or give them as thoughtless gifts. Because we want to get rid of that which is painful and unpleasant and only see the beauty, the pretty things. But what we do to ourselves when we do such a thing is to forget that we need both of them in order to have a complete and true rose.
We need the painful parts of things and to really see them in order to get to the beauty. We need the thorns in order to appreciate the rose, but yet so often we wish we could have the beauty without the pain, that we can have one without the other. But we can’t possibly. Instead, we lie to ourselves and pretend it doesn’t exist, going against nature until nature conforms. We deny nature, therefore we deny ourselves.
We can’t accept everything that we are and the nature of it all. They say it’s unfortunate that most roses have thorns, but all I can say is I wish to never see a rose without a thorn ever again. Because I resemble that rose, and I need that protection, something to ward off those who wish to grab me up just to watch me die, dry up, and crumble apart. They all instantly want the rose petals but resent the thorns once they have been pricked.
But what did they expect?
Their perspective is deceiving, believing just because the rose seems innocent does not make it naive. And they want the beauty without the pain but it does not work that way. They can’t understand they can’t just hold the beauty in their hand without first reaching inside to grab it.They can’t just pick a rose that already bloomed when they themselves haven’t even planted the seed. And they can’t understand just what it took to blossom into those pedals or how something so precious can hurt so bad.
But I can.
I understand just how much you need those thorns because they’d do anything to take all those petals away. To devour or admire. To mistake your appearance and good qualities for naivety or that it’s a weakness. Either way, they mustn’t mistake my beauty for something they can take for themselves unless they are willing to feel the pain.The same pain that formed the thorns long ago to protect me from those who saw me as something to prey on or from being a display on a table or desk, completely without thorns, for I know my nature. Just as innocent, delicate, and gentle the rose can be is just as strong, bold, and fierce it can be too. That's what the rose teaches us about life.