A Musing Concerning Roses

For those who I share my Google+ posts with, this will be review.  But I had a rather interesting comparison pop into my mind this evening. 

I don't like posting drama anywhere.  My problems are my business.  However, my problems like to get intense.  Thus, the last two weeks of my life...have pretty much sucked.  So here I am, feeling sorry for myself when I suddenly got this image of a single red rose.  Allow me to explain. 

A rose is often the symbol of love.  According to my research, a single red rose means "I love you".  Red roses are my personal favorite.  So the fact that I chose a red one for my analogy is only because they are my favorite.  However, what I took from a rose is this:  People are like roses. 

You're probably thinking, "Wait a minute.  People?  Roses?  Where's the comparison?  I don't have a stem or leaves or petals."  I didn't mean literally. 

Think of your best friend.  If you're anything like me you think they're just the cat's meow.  But you probably know a lot about them.  You know their habits, likes, dislikes, insecurities, etc.  Wouldn't you agree that they're beautiful in some way or another?  Would you say that they have flaws?  How about sharp edges?  Do you see what I'm getting at here? 

A rose is a beautiful flower, but is famous for its thorns.  They often have flaws.  They are beautiful and they have a lot of meaning for people, but they aren't perfect.  People are the same way.  People are beautiful.  People have thorns and rough edges.  People have flaws. 

Think about another aspect of a rose:  it's fragile.  It's so easy to pull off one of those velvety petals.  It's so easy to damage it.  You could probably write a book called 101 ways to damage a rose.  People are the same way.  It's so easy to hurt them.  One harsh word, one degrading look, or one brush-off can permanently scar a person.  The best example of this that I can think of is teen suicide and depression as a result of bullying.  Kids say mean things to each other just to tear the other person down.  That hurts them beyond the expression of words.  Words hurt, people!  They really do! 

We look at a rose and marvel at its beauty.  We choose to overlook the thorns that threaten to cut us.  We brush over the little flaws in its rich petals.  Why?  Because we are prejudiced to only see beauty in it.  Why can't we do the same with people?  Can't we overlook each others' faults for once?  Can't we marvel at the wonder of life?  If we can do it for a simple flower, then we should be more willing to do so for a human being.