If you stand for a reason,
Be ready to stand alone.
Like a tree,
Rooted deep,
Even when the wind mocks,
Even when the birds leave,
Even when shadows grow longer
And the soil beneath you turns cold.

Because truth
Isn’t always popular.
And values
Don’t come with crowds.

You might be the only one
Speaking sense in a room full of noise.
You might look stubborn,
Too serious,
Too different.
Let them say what they will.

A tree doesn’t grow
To please the forest.
It grows to reach the light.

If the storm comes,
If you fall,
If they cut you down,
Don’t fall like a broken thing.
Fall like a seed.

Grow again.
Not the same,
But stronger,
Sharper,
Deeper.

Because those who stand for truth
Might fall a thousand times.
But each fall plants another reason to rise.

And when you rise again,
They’ll call it a miracle.
But you’ll know,
You were never gone.
You were just growing.

Stand,
Even if it costs you company.
Fall,
But fall like a fighter.
Because the world doesn’t need
More followers.
It needs roots
That hold the ground
When everything else shakes.