This I Believe // Creative Writing 2016-2017 // Taytiana Velazquez-Rivera

SHHHHHHH, be quite, listen, Hey do you hear that? Yeah that, while reading listening to the voice in my head read, like everyone reads with (like you are now) and thinks with. I realized I had multiple voices, don’t worry I’m not crazy- or at least I don’t think I am. I have more than my vocal voice and the one I think with, I also have two that tell me what to do. Some may just think I’m crazy but they are different, they sound different and have different tones and have different feelings, emotions and some don’t have any at all. Sometimes a lack of one voice makes for sadness, or anger while the lack of the other makes room for happiness and success. I believe that along we have three consciences and they control the forth one that the world gets to hear. I also believe that some people can hear your other voices when your souls connect, in a way no other does. Once I heard the saying “Two wolves live inside of you a good wolf and a bad wolf, they are in a constant fight, the one who wins is the one you feed.” I always thought after this my brain tells my speaking voice to say what the winning wolf says. There is no need to use your thinking voice in a moment of no ration and when all is done-one had just one. My mom always would say “Think before you speak”, I never could though. The thing is I never got the chance to. I always fought and fed the truth-telling side so I’d always open my ‘big-mouth’ so she’d always say-it was honest to me. On the flip side, there were moments the other wolf would win like hitting my brothers, acting before I thought because the wolves already came to their conclusion. I hate when someone tell’s me to shut up, me and my voices have so many thoughts to share. Now, I try to teach my niece to use the same logic as she speaks before she thinks. I believe there’s multiple versions of you controled by your consciences, i believe they grow, spiritual ones might arise, the one about your race, your sex, politics and so forth, they may also leave and you can always change it’s mind- just like I try mine. Philosophy and belief is what will drive my day, not letting the bad win over the good. Your voices will be your worst enemy, your best friends, your supporters, your naysayers, they can be your downfall or rise; Over the years I learned when to feed each voice and wolf, everyone must learn themselves, you must take them all and figure out what the perfect concoction off all your you’s and their voices are, so you can present the ones you want to feed onto the world. I’ll never hear “Hey do you hear me? I’m here and so are they, we are here so listen” They will never make themselves known but through the vast journey of your brain you will discover just like I did.