The leaf blower makes noise while the rake sleeps.

The leaf blower wakes crying children from their naps. The rake sends happy dreams their way. 

The leaf blower gets cranky and breaks. The rake is picked up again by a boy of 8 who has fun with the rake, playing in the piles of leaves, aware of the birds chirping, enjoying time outside without thinking of his video game collection inside. 

The rake is brought up at dinner "I don't think the leaf blower should get fixed" the boy said. 

This boy was special. Although he was denied, he kept at it his whole life only ever using a rake to take care of fallen leaves on the ground. If you believe in something so much that you never give up, you are a rare individual who will leave a much greater footprint than you think

Today I yearned for an old lady in the neighborhood who would take me into her home, feed me tea and crumpets and tell me fascinating stories of her 100 year life (obviously in a british accent). Do any communities out there anymore have that individual where all the kids go when nothing is going on? I hope they do. Her stories might include her spy ex-husband #4 who got poisoned by the koreans in the form of very expensive caviar. (It was really his wife but she won't tell you that). She may also speak of her once biennial trips to South America to take peyote with a shaman who she apparently married (#3) but has no recollection of this. What she does remember on that 2 week period is being fed grapes by unicorns with tiny sweet monkeys sitting on their heads and sky that was always changing from Van Gogh to Monet, to other famous artists and their paintings, most of them impressionists for that is what she liked. She would also tell me stories of how time never meant anything to her and if she wanted to she could climb Everest right now.. but that simply wasn't what she wanted to do right now, she wanted to entertain me with tea and crumpets :)

Why do people hate? why are there genocides and war? People feeling the (very fake) power of killing another human being. Why is there anti-semitism and racism (you can just let people be without finding someone to hate - you idiots. Why do people bully and enjoy shaming those they have authority over? Why do people abuse animals - sentient beings who only want to love (trust me they want love over treats). 
Simply: people are really really stupid
Less simply: These are all sick people who have never known unconditional love or compassion. They only know "I" and they live to protect their "I" and survive in an environment that may be very cruel and unjust. Many aquired hate from their parents who aquired it from their parents and have never given it a second thought. Only the wise want to be an alien in the group. Many are scared of having morality conversations with themselves because it may distance themselves from the people in their lives or make them a target. Hate for many is a feeling of power. To them, they hate, so they matter. If you love, you are weak and of no use to their nonsense goals that bring our world deeper into hell (totally kidding about that, the thought of hell just makes me laugh). 
When you grow up in violent environments, how do you escape it? Usually you just go along with it because the thought of fighting it is scary. It seems wrong because it goes against everything you were raised on, how could everything I've ever been taught wrong? This is a near impossible feat to overcome. It is scary to free yourself from dellusions and let go of the "I" for the all and even scarier to face the truth. The truth of who you are, who you want to be and risk feeling extreme guilt for betraying those who fed you, mentored you, gave you company when you were lonely. 

Anyone who needs to hear this from someone who sees good in everyone: You can always start over, you are not trapped, this world is yours, this life is yours. Yours alone. Please don't go through it as a coward. You are strong, start asking questions, don't ignore the troubled, question everything. If you don't you will fall into traps. I know you can find truth. Yes, truth can mean many things, but if you find it you will know what I mean. When there is nothing to fear and no one can reach you way up on that mountain in your head then you are on your way to brahman. 

Americans often seem so lost; not knowing what they like, what they don't like, what they believe in, what their take on big questions are perhaps because they have never had these conversations with themselves, instead taking in all the false information and crap values from the media... but I might be wrong. Here is some inspiration:

"Let's Live For Today" song
(by the Grassroots)

When I think of all the worries
That people seem to find
And how they're in a hurry
To complicate their minds
By chasing after money
And dreams that can't come true
I'm glad that we are different
We've better things to do
May others plan their future
I'm busy loving you

One, two, three, four
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
(Hey, hey, hey)
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
Live for today

We were never meant to worry
The way that people do
And I don't need to hurry
As long as I'm with you
We'll take it nice and easy
And use my simple plan
You'll be my lovin' woman
I'll be your lovin' man
We'll take the most from living
Have pleasure while we can

Two, three, four
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
(Hey, hey, hey)
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
Live for today

Baby, I need to feel you inside of me
I got to feel you deep inside of me
Baby, please come close to me
I got to have you now, please
Please, please
Gimme some-a loving
Gimme some-a loving
To gimme some-a loving
To gimme some-a loving
Baby, gimme some-a loving
Gimme some-a loving
Got to have all your loving
Gimme some-a loving
I need all your loving
Give me some love now
I need all your loving

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
(Hey, hey, hey)
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today