NOW OR NEVER

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Jose Mari Hall Lanuza
IV - Enrico Fermi


“If you love someone, you say it, you say it right then, out loud. aOtherwise, the moment just passes you by.”

Dermont Mulroney sure had it right.

Almost all of us, if not all, had at least once experienced fear of saying what we feel inside. And why would we not? We are only humans, capable of being afraid, capable of being hurt. There is always something that holds us back from the great joy of having nothing to hide. Rejection, judgment, failure and the like, make us cower in defeat. And yes, I know that telling the truth is easier said than done. But just like what we all know, the first step is always the hardest. Mustering up the courage to do what we must do is always the hardest. But we should not let our fears incapacitate us forever. We will go nowhere if we let fear rule over us.

When it comes to telling the truth about love, another moment of delay just means another moment of potential happiness wasted. We may or may not get the happy ending we all so religiously dream about, but that is a risk that we have to take. It is like an unspoken contract that we signed in the name of love. It always is the case. You cannot expect love to be like a world full of rainbows and butterflies. There is a hard road that should be traversed before we reach paradise. Because love and hurt coexist; one cannot be without the other. One who fails to realize this can never get out of his shell and say those magical words.

Are you too stupid to not realize that pain is inevitable? That no matter how far you run or how hard you try to hide, you will still get hurt? That love is merciful; it rewards those who take the difficult step to reach it. It may not be in the form you wish it to be, but a reward is surely there for you. You just have to be brave enough to claim it, to own it. You just have to get all the strength you need. It might not be that easy, but it surely is not impossible either. It just takes a little more determination and courage to take that great leap of faith, uncertain if someone will be there to break your fall. Sometimes, that is the only thing we can do: jump, without assurances.

So, are you still not convinced? Well, you better be convinced soon. Realize that the world will not stop moving just for you, Know that people will keep on moving forward, whether you want them to or not. Wake up to the cold reality that time passes, and it is not that hard for a person to get left behind. You will only be left behind because of your fears. And when you realize that the world has moved on , and yet you are still here, it may already be too late for you to catch up. Do what you have to do right away, before it is too late. Say what you have to. Realize what you need to. Do what you have to do, before the chance slips out of your hands.

“I love you” is so hard to say, is it not? But no matter how hard, you should say it now, while there is still a chance. It is now or never, my friend. Now or never.

“If you love someone, you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise, the moment just passes you by.”