High
school.
A period in your life where you
leave childhood behind and experience the ups and downs of growing up. It’s
that awkward hormonal stage where you realize life isn’t always going to be
easy. To be truthful- it can be a pain in the ass. It’s also a time when you
start to discover who you are as an individual, and how immature people will hate
you for just being you. You realize that people will stereotype you and group
you into cliques based on your appearance and your actions.
I am that awkward kid that
embarrasses her-self every other minute, and likes to do the opposite of what
society approves of. I am not a genius, but I am not stupid, either. Some
people consider me to be weird, and others get annoyed to the point they
wouldn’t mind if I disappeared. I realize people judge me every day, from the
way I look to the way I act. Some people could care less about what I do, and
then there are the people that will become offended and try to morph me into
what they consider to be acceptable.
Why should I change myself to please
you?
Everyone has a different view of
things. The problem with this generation is that we seem to get the words
“fact” and “opinion” mixed up. We tend to think that our opinion is actually a fact,
and that anyone who is willing to disagree is not worth our time. Facts are
scientifically proven ideas that have evidence that supports the main concept.
On the contrary, an opinion is an individual’s personal perspective of the
world around them. Opinions revolve around varying cultures, traditions,
religions, and the people that create and take part in these customs. Opinions
are a reflection of a person’s viewpoints, beliefs, and of their personality.
People are different from each other
in many ways- from the color of their skin to their IQ level. Genetics, age,
gender, and the surrounding environment influence the thoughts and personality
of each human being. The social media has had a large impact on how today’s
society should view people. Music, magazines, books, films, and other types of
mass media seem to encourage the public to judge solely on other’s outward
appearance. The media claims that if people do not dress, act, or talk a
certain way, they are “abnormal” and “different”. What is so bad with being
separate from the “in- crowd”? Why does everyone want to be a clone of one
another?
Everyone has an altered perspective
on things. No matter how hard one tries,
that individual will never be completely satisfied with who they are. Feeling
agitated, they turn to what is considered “cool” and “popular” for consolation.
They feel the need to be accepted by society, and in order to achieve that,
they must transform themselves into a fake, unrealistic imitation of the latest
vogue. They allow the world to be their puppeteer, and in doing so, they lose
their genuine identity. And high school is one of those many places where
people will be mistreated for not “fitting in” with what is considered to be cool.
People would not feel the need to do
such things if civilization learned to accept uniqueness. Everyone is different.
If people learned to listen to what other’s had to say, and respected the
other’s personal opinion whether or not they agreed with it, the world would be
more serene. You have to realize that no matter what a person says or does, it
will not always change the opinion of someone else. That is just the way the
world is. Variety is superb, but people seem too concerned of what other’s
think of them. In doing so, they will do whatever it takes to make someone like
them. Even if it means sacrificing who they are.
We live in a free country, but it’s
as if everyone constantly forgets what freedom really means. It’s being able to
express yourself without being persecuted. Even the Bill
of Rights, Amendment 1 states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.”
Society and the media tries to
convince the world that in order to be “someone” you have to look a certain
way, act a certain way, and have a lot of money. But it should not be like
that. Life is too short to worry about what others think about you. Not everyone
will love you, but not everyone will hate you. The right people will accept you
for you. People are people- there is nothing that will make someone better or
worse than someone else. You should get to know someone before you waste your
breath on things that might not even be true about them. And if you do not like
them, do not say mean things about them just to pass the time. Respect the fact
that you have a different opinion and lifestyle from theirs, and move on. It’s
not the end of the world.
I am who I am. And I personally do
not care if you like me or not- I do not need the world’s approval in order to
be happy and successful in life. So, what’s your opinion?
No comments:
Post a Comment