You're crawling in the desert, your throat cracked as the hardpan ground. Occasionally dismembered shade flows over you yet the quick comfort which it brings belongs not to the clouds but winged beasts who yearn to satiate their withered guts with the meat from your corpse. As you inch forward, you pray that the end to this wasteland which you see, wavering miles away, is not an illusion from the arid atmosphere.

Many talk about overcoming Hardship's domination yet not what it's like to triumph only to be trampled by the opressor's taloned feet so let my speech inspire your voice and allow my album to be the musical score to your experience.

Those who attain victory after each fall can grow weary from what feels like battling a rapidly evolving virus; a storm which eventually collides like a tidal wave upon those lulls of contentment; An immortal hurricane that taunts individuals as it periodically brings them into its center of tranquility...only to slam its wall of ferocity upon them again. This experience is so exhausting that some are tempted to allow the Grim Reaper to carry them towards a freshly dug grave. So some become careful not to stray too far into the light again because it's a more horrifying experience to suddenly slip and plummet from such a great height than to remain in the canyon. Yet strife can still dig a chasm underneath the feet of those who refuse to climb. So it's best to hope anyways. You see, hope isn't an enemy but surrendering is. You may be surprised that emotional excruciation, in itself, is not a villainous entity either. It is destructive to those who indulge and refuse to fight (or don't have the support system to fight), the negative thoughts which arrive. Yet there's proof that pain can be a source for creativity, empathy, and inspiration as well, just as joy can. So those who are despondent need to hope despite their turmoil and they need to be able to always communicate honestly with those whom they love and trust.

We all have battles to face everyday. Those who give in to their judgemental ways will look down on those who don't seem to accomplish as much as them. Yet, if the actively self-righteous were to look within the souls of those whom they ridicule, then they'd see that many of them are victors who are fighting the best ways that they can; with all the energy that they have. So, let's not compare ourselves to others. Though our outward accomplishments may seem less than what we did before, miniscule or even non-existent, they are truly equally exceptional; as long as we try our best. There is no such thing as a life without pain but everyday is worth living.

- C.A. Nicholas