How Did We Get Here?

 Life isn't fair.

The older I get, the more this is tattooed into my brain. The whole world seems to be smack in the middle of an unfairness sandwich, with selfish people being one piece of bread, stubborn people as the other piece, and the world being the bologna, turkey, ham, or whatever it is you prefer in between. There's also fantastic condiments such as politics, racism, sexism, and greed that get slathered on there as well. You know, to give it some flavor. Can't have a bland, peaceful sandwich now can we? Oh no, that would just be way too easy.

Why is it that we as a society are so unforgiving and unfair lately? Why is our whole country in debt so deep that we would give the Mariana Trench a run for its money? Why is the unemployment rate rising faster than ever before? Why does no one seem to truly care about the average, everyday citizen? WHY?

I can tell you in one word: SELFISHNESS. That seems to be the biggest issue. In my opinion at least. The majority of people in this country today could care less about anyone other than themselves and their immediate family. This includes all of our political figures too if you ask me. Our whole system is getting more and more messed up every single day. It's becoming less about the people and their needs, and more about how much money our leaders can make for themselves and how nice their retirement package might be.

And can someone please tell me why we even have Republicans, Democrats, and Independents? What's the point of that? Just because we all have different opinions, we have to separate ourselves into different groups. We have to choose a side to be on. Last time I checked, I thought we were all supposed to be on the same side.

The issue of differing opinions is one that is decades old and apparent in every place in society. Everyone thinks differently, so naturally there's going to be some arguments. But for God's sake people, why must we split ourselves up? Our feeling of nationalism and pride for our beautiful country only weakens as we separate. It's like we're all back on the playground in elementary school, with two groups of children arguing about whose turn it is to go on the swings. One group wins for a little while and enjoys their spoils while the other group stomps off to the far corner and plots about how to regain supremacy over those darn swings. It's a back and forth, never ending cycle. The children are all the same and all go to the same school, but yet they fight amongst themselves just because they think differently. Things can get so heated sometimes that no one wins a turn at all, so engrossed are they at winning the fight. They become so enthralled in outsmarting the opponent, that they forget what it is they were even fighting for. There's a reason that there were no such things as 'political parties' when the Constitution was signed in 1787, and that nothing concerning anything like them are mentioned in it. They weren't in the plan. Back then, we were one nation, with one government, and one group of people all wanting the same thing. Now, unfortunately, things have drastically changed.

Other than the issue of all the different political parties, one thing has always gotten under my skin when it comes to politics, and that is how much and how little the president does. Now nobody bite my head off yet. These are just my personal, and probably very flawed, thoughts. I'm well aware of how busy he is, but good Lord, he doesn't even write his own speeches! What's up with that? I mean, does he even know what he's saying when he reads that teleprompter? Does he fully agree with the points and opinions in it? Does he even know the person who wrote that hour long speech? I know he's constantly working, but speaking to the American people to me is one of the most important things a president does, and writing his own speeches should be on the high end of his to-do list. It's not like he does one everyday. It can be like high school, where all the teachers want us to stretch out projects over a long period of time instead of doing it all the night before it's due. You can't tell me that if he took thirty minutes to an hour every day or so an sat down with his advisers and wrote a few paragraphs of his next speech that it wouldn't be as good at the pre-written ones that these people feed him. I mean come on, people elected him because they liked HIS ideas and opinions and thoughts, not some payed writer's.

So basically, huge economic slumps suck. The end.

"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Modeling of the Mind

What do you think people see when they look at you? Just take a moment and think about it. Do they see arrogance? Kindness? Anger? Patience? What is it that you are displaying for them to absorb and remember you by? Some people never think about it, when in fact it should be an imperative piece of knowledge that each person knows about themselves. What are you putting out there for the world to see, and does anyone even really notice?

One thing everyone should know, is that people are constantly observing each other, and when I say that I mean it in the least creepy way possible. You know what I'm talking about. Say you're in the local McDonald's (Let me say I'm sorry for the constant food comparisons, but a good Micky D's large fry is constantly in the back of my mind telling me that the honey roasted peanuts and Diet Mountain Dew that always accompanies me to my desk does nothing to sway the snack craving one always gets around three o'clock in the afternoon. Oh the horrors of fast food.) and you hear the person in front of you order three Big Mac's, two large fries, and an Oreo Mcflurry to go. You immediately have thoughts along the lines of  'Gosh what a cow! Who orders all of that in one go?' rushing through your consciousness. You then take a step back and quickly survey their body weight and style to check if the crime of calories fits the suspect. We've all done it, but that grease-craving individual in front of you usually has no idea you noticed anything about their order, much less had a brain battle deciding if they might actually be able to consume such a beefy meal, and used variables such as their current body weight and appearance to help form your hypocritical hypothesis. (Let's remember you're in line yourself, so you aren't exactly guilt free there buddy.) But anyway, you get what I'm saying, we notice each other more than we think.

This subject was brought to my attention yesterday afternoon when I received an email on Facebook from a teammate of mine concerning herself and the practice that we had had earlier that day. It read:

"Hey girl ;) I just wanted to say thank you for encouraging me today in weight lifting . It really helped .

& I know I get upset & stuff in prac but that's only bc I get frustrated bc we all work really hard & things still don't go right so I was wondering If you could help me get better at being more positive with everyone that would be great :) I don't mean what I say it just comes out & I notice how your really good at staying positive w everyone so I was just wondering . Thanks girl ! ;)"

Just melt my heart why don't you.

Now please don't think I'm writing this to brag about how great of a person I am, because that is certainly not the case. I suck at being nice most of the time just like any other moody teenager. But I really wanted to share this with you guys because it shocked me so much. I never realised anyone ever took notice of my behavior. Much less would ask for my help with their own. Talk about an eye-opener, and the fact that she had the maturity to say anything in the first place just amazed me.

One thing you all should know about me, is that I'm never happier than when I'm out on that volleyball court. My demeanor changes completely from being a passive, calm person into this annoyingly cheery little girl who is just overjoyed at getting to run around and play ball with the people I love. My team is my family and together we do some crazy, awful, and amazing things. They might as well be my blood-relatives, because I would do anything for any one of them, and am constantly trying to make them as giddy and annoying as I am when we play and work. But until yesterday, I never thought anyone noticed. It just goes to show you that little things really can make a difference to those around you, even if you don't know it. So the next time you go out, think about how you might be being perceived by people, because you never know who you might be impacting; who's mindset you could help change. Go out with the goal of being a role model, one that can help us make this big place we live in all the better. 

"People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy." - Oliver Goldsmith

Heaven on Earth

Two weeks is a long time.

It doesn't sound very long, but when spent in only one place it seems endless; a moment in time that suspends itself from all other pieces of our everyday lives. There are so many things that one could get done in two weeks, if one wanted. I on the other hand, chose to spend my two weeks in Captiva Island, Florida becoming a professional beach bum.

Every year, my family takes a two week trip to this amazing little island. Located right off the coast of Ft. Myers, Florida, it is a tiny hidden gem in the treasure that is the Gulf of Mexico. Being only four miles long and only a half mile wide, you can imagine how easy it is to pass by.

   Getting to that little red dot on the map from my home takes roughly thirteen hours by car. I cannot say enough how much I adore my ipod on this drive. Praise be to Apple!

Our secret little paradise is merely a home away from home now. My family has been coming here for over forty years, so we're quite past the point of being tourists.

Every year the trip is fantastic, but this year has been even more so than usual. The wildlife has been surreal. A few days ago, while fishing off of the dock behind our house on the bay side of the island, a wild manatee swam right up to us and proceeded to take a nice little shower and a drink from the hose we had running on the side of the dock.

He stayed barely half a foot away from the dock until we had to go inside and turn the hose off. Silly guy seemed a bit disgruntled when we cut his nice shower short.

Captiva is the most peaceful place I've ever been to. There is no rushing around, no extreme amount of people, not even one traffic light. Stress has no meaning here, and all worries about work, school, or whatever is lost as soon as you cross the bridge onto the island. People here have a different way about them, and easygoing, carefree and friendly nature that can't be captured anywhere else. Some call it island magic, but I think the absence of so many things that are found on the mainland creates a different mind set in people. There are no chain restaurants, grocery stores, or shops, save for one Dairy Queen on Captiva's sister island, Sanibel. That means no Walmart, no McDonald's, no mall. (A few of you reading this just fell out of your chair.) But somehow no one really cares. All there is here are two independently owned grocery stores (both about a quarter of the size of your average Walmart), a handful of surf shops, and of course a number of restaurants found no where else. Other than the one Dairy Queen (no idea how that sucker even got here) there is nothing that is similar to anything found on the mainland.

Captiva changes people. It makes one feel as if time has no meaning, as if there is nothing and no one surrounding us save for the four miles of beach and cottages. Of course, island life isn't for everyone. Those people that can never slow down, can never just stop and do nothing for once in their life, would never enjoy a vacation here. There isn't a multitude of things to do, no theme park, no huge attraction, save for maybe a few jet ski rides, some deep sea fishing, and maybe a para sailing trip. Other than that, the island itself is enough for most people. It has the ability to erase the mind's usual and somewhat annoying thoughts and replace them with gull calls, soft sand, cool breezes, and the smell and feel of ocean spray. There is simply nothing like it. I'm hoping and praying that I will forever be able to enjoy and appreciate such a special place. Just another one of those simple, wonderful things that life has to offer.

"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen   

Mothers and Dictators

It seems that I've taken a rather long vacation from blogging. One month and three days to be exact. It feels like so much longer than that though. The writer and English freak in me has been writhing and screaming to get out since about week two of my blogging lapse, and is now beyond my control. So here I am finally with time to give in to my questionable cravings that consist only of words and the repetitive clicking of computer keys.

It has been one week and two days since school has ended. I will have you all know that I have successfully made it through my sophomore year of high school with minimal damage. But anyway, summer is here now however and I can't quite bare the thought of school at the moment so I will not expand on any of that just yet. Right now I have a story to tell; a dilemma if you will. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, and I can't come up with any plausible answers, so I figured that I'd ask all of you lovely bloggers out there your opinion on the matter.

Children are supposed to respect their parents. They are supposed to obey their parents. They are supposed to listen, perform, and behave as their parents wish. That's just how things work. Parents have the power, and that's fine. But what happens when they purposefully abuse that power over their children? What can the child do? These questions presented themselves after I heard a very disturbing story one night from my closest friend, and I'm having trouble trying to answer them by myself.

That night, my friend, her boyfriend, and I had just arrived at a Chinese restaurant after departing from a rather boring graduation party. Now let me tell you, the Fiji Express is quite the bustling place at 9p.m. on a Friday night. All of one car was there when we pulled up, and I'm pretty sure that was just one of the employees. But that's to be expected when you live in a small southern town like us. Not to say that the cuisine wasn't delicious, but when the people behind the counter look more Latino than Asian, you can pretty much bet that you are receiving the most American-ified Asian food ever, which is why MOST Chinese food-craving people would rather just go down the street to the Chinese buffet where you can get the "real stuff". You know, the place where they offer the fifteen types of shellfish you've never heard of, the fish on a stick that's still twitching when you put it on your plate, and of course the always tasty pig intestine. Personally, I'd rather just have my cheap chicken and rice thank you very much, which is why we opted for Fiji Express's small, scruffy-looking ramshackle shack instead of Great Wall's impeccably plastered square fortress.

Throughout the whole getting there, walking in, ordering, and picking out a booth process, my friend 'Savannah' had been in unusually low spirits. She and her boyfriend of almost two years, 'Drew', couldn't stop arguing. With both of them being my friends, I had refused to take sides all night, but in my mind I was really starting to sympathize with Drew. Savannah, the usually always cheerful, easy to please and hilariously funny girl was being impossible to him. She had a problem with everything that night. Where he sat, what he said, what food he ordered, his drink, his attitude, EVERYTHING. So when we finally got settled into our booth at the back of the restaurant, I, being my confrontation-hating self, did my best to lighten her mood, which I'm usually pretty good at since I know her so well. But that night she would not be charmed. She stayed in low spirits the whole meal, until I finally just stopped trying.

When we had finally finished our food and were giving our leftovers over to the bottomless pit that is Drew, (Another plus of small, cheap shacks: one plate of food could feed a small army. They don't mess around with their portion size.) I asked Savannah point blank what the heck was going on with her. The answer I got made me angrier than I've been in a very long time.

Drew was graduating the next day from a high school in the county next to ours, and Savannah had of course been planning on attending this momentous occasion. She and Drew had been together forever in teenage dating terms, and naturally it was very important to her that she see him graduate. She told me that she had made her mother aware of the date that it was happening (June 4th) many months in advance so that she would be sure to not plan anything on that day, and she said her mother had agreed to let her go. Savannah then went on to say that this past week she had been eating breakfast when her mother walked in to the kitchen and promptly told her to remember that she had to take the SAT test on June 4th.

"But Mom," she had said, "that's the day Drew is graduating."

"Oh I know, but this will be better for you than going to that." her mother had replied offhandedly.

At this point in the story, I could barely keep my seat. I was so angered by her mother's spitefulness. She had knowingly made it so that Savannah couldn't go to Drew's graduation. One thing you all should know, is that Savannah's mother has wanted her to break up with Drew for a while now. None of us are sure why. The two of them have never gotten into trouble, they are always on time for curfew, and Drew is nothing but respectful towards both of her parents. Neither of them smoke, neither of them drink, and Drew is a good guy towards Savannah. He treats her right and respects her. The only thing I can come up with that might be a problem for her mother is the age difference between them. Savannah is sixteen, while Drew is eighteen, and I can understand her mother being uncomfortable with this, but why then didn't she say anything about that two years ago when they first started seeing each other? Why did she even let them date? Why would she let them stay together so long and then change her mind?

After hearing her story, Drew and I fully understood Savannah's bad temper. Both of us were beside ourselves with anger and frustration. But what could she do? She respected her mother too much to ever just plainly disobey her. She would have to miss Drew's graduation, a once in a lifetime thing, to take the SAT, which you can take once every month or so. The injustice of the whole thing still lights a fire in me even today.

What I'm still trying to figure out is, did she have a choice? Was her mother so much in the wrong that it wouldn't have been so horrible for Savannah to deliberately disobey her? As kids do we even have rights when it comes to our parent's decisions?

I arrived home that evening to an empty house (Both of my parents, my brother, and two of his little friends and their families were at the lake for the weekend, and I had been given the choice of staying home on my own for a few nights or accompanying them for three days of fun with three eleven-year-olds, one five year old, and a bunch of middle-aged beer-loving folks all crammed in a tiny lakeside cabin. Needless to say I politely declined that incredibly tempting invitation in favor of the companionship of my dog and the television.) and called my mother to tell her Savannah's story. She one hundred percent agreed with me, and got angry herself at poor Savannah's predicament. I told her that I was at the point where I wanted to tell Savannah to just go to the graduation anyway, regardless of her mom's rules, but that I knew she just couldn't. My mom was at a loss for words, torn between her role as a fellow mother and being completely on Savannah's side. The whole thing was just a mess.

Savannah, being the good daughter that she is, went that next day and took her test, and didn't even get the opportunity to see Drew that day at all. How in the world a mother could be so shamelessly cruel is beyond me.

Parents are wonderful, don't get me wrong. They brought us into this world and cared for and nurtured us from the beginnings of our existence, which makes it natural that they be the ones that are in charge. But is it possible that they sometimes abuse this power? And if they do, is there anything the children can really do about it? Kids have rights, yes, but do those rights extend to their parents as well? Do we really have a choice? I wish I knew.   

"Children do not constitute anyone's property: they are neither the property of their parents nor even of society. They belong only to their own future freedom." - Mikhail Bakunin

Knowing Your Place

As you all know, in high school there is a very strict pecking order. Freshmen are at the very bottom, being the youngest and newest to arrive on campus. The sophomores come next, being neither true upperclassmen nor disdainful underclassmen. The next level of students, juniors, are seen as true upperclassmen but still bow to the all-powerful seniors. Seniors get all the privileges, and call all the shots. They've earned that right though, being the oldest and most experienced at the school, and everyone else understands that. At least, most of us do.
The first practices of a new volleyball season started this past week. Spring practice is always so interesting, what with all of the new little freshies coming up from the middle school and the new varsity and j.v. teams being roughly formed. Upperclassmen are somewhat in charge of getting the new players up to speed on the new techniques and formations that come with playing volleyball in high school. This is what I and my fellow upperclassmen were doing last Thursday, when we figured out that this season was going to require a whole lot more senior authority if we were going to last through the new season without killing each other.

Practice had been going fairly decent so far, and everyone was just starting to get used to the new varsity coach. We have been issued a new one every year that I've played, not because we're a bad group of girls, but because some adults just don't know how to commit to coaching. I mean come on, if you're going to take the job, take it with the understanding of the amount of time you will be giving up to the team and the mindset that you're going to be in it for the long haul. It might not matter that much to you, but to us players it's our whole world, and we deserve your dedication when we so readily demonstrate ours. Maybe this guy will be different, but we'll see.

We had just started running through a drill that we like to call Queens. Its basically when six girls play three-on-three and whichever team wins the point stays on the court and the one that doesn't is replaced by three more different players. The object of the game is to just get as much game-like experience as possible and to help players work on communication skills and basic passing, setting, hitting, and digging techniques. It's fun to win though too, I'll admit.

At the time, another player who happens to be injured at this point in time and unable to practice, was in charge of tossing easy free balls to either side of the net to get each rally started. This girl, a friend of mine who we'll call Ann for privacy reasons,(and the fact that she'll be super-duper pissed-off at me if she ever reads this and sees that I used her real name), was succeeding in angering every single upperclassman in that gym.

Ann, instead of simply tossing balls over the net to help the newer players adjust and get better, was hitting hard down balls and tipping impossible tips to each new group of players.

"Ann, just throw easy balls to us. That's the way we've always played it and that's how we need to do it now. Not everyone knows how to dig balls like that yet." said one of this year's graduating seniors, Kathleen.

"What, you guys can't handle a little down ball?" retorted Ann sarcastically. Now let me just say, Ann is a rising junior, like myself, and Kathleen is one of our senior players from last year who has been coming to our practices to help us and the new recruits get acclimated. For her to be so outwardly rude to one of our old captains made mine and everyone else's mouths drop wide open. A bomb could have gone off in the parking lot next to the gym and none of us would have moved, so dumbfounded were we by such a display.

"WE can, but some of the new players can't, so just ease up." said Kathleen evenly. It's a good thing she has a level head, because had it been me that Ann had talked back to, I would have ripped her a new one. Next year will sure be interesting when we're BOTH seniors. Lord have mercy.

Ann then ignored Kathleen's remarks about 'easing up' and continued to drill balls at us and try to act like she was large-and-in-charge. Since she's neither of those things, you can probably imagine the tempers that were boiling up in that gym. (In case you're wondering, as I was too at the time, where our actual coaches were when all of this was going on; they were happily chatting away on the other side of the gym about different drills and players and whatnot. Way to be vigilant, new coach. You're showing excellent promise so far.)

The next actual verbal confrontation happened between Ann and Nicole, Nicole being a rising senior and current captain. Nicole was in one of the groups of three people getting ready to play against the others on the other side of the net at the time.

"Ann, just throw free balls. It's what we've always done during this drill. Some people can't handle that yet. It's only the second day of practice."

"I know YOU can though. What, are you scared of a little tip or down-ball?" said Ann. She then proceeded to hit the ball straight at Nicole who, making no effort to pass the ball whatsoever, calmly caught it, and then tossed it back to her.

"I know I can, but that's not the point. And no, I'm definitely not scared of you or your hits. Don't flatter yourself sweetie. This isn't your team. Your just a regular player like the rest of us." And with that said Nicole stood in the middle of the court and waited, refusing to play or move until Ann listened.

"Whatever," said Ann, who, being somewhat embarrassed at being out-argued, then proceeded to throw free balls for the rest of the drill, like she was originally designated to. At that point, I had been in the back of the line watching this all go down with all of the other upperclassmen players. I had been yelling retort after retort at Ann the whole time (in my head at least) and was grinning by the time Nicole finally succeeded in putting her back in her place. I did have enough decency to wipe off my little smirk by the time it was my turn to play, but just barely!

The moral of the story? (Yes there is a moral to average girl drama. It DOES have a higher meaning. But then again, so does a rock if you think about it hard enough. The earth's crust and all that. Who knew.) It's simply: RESPECT YOUR ELDERS, regardless of if your 'elder' is eighteen or eighty. They still have seniority over you and should be respected. You don't have to like it, most of us don't in fact, but its another one of those unwritten and universally understood rules that you just follow. Just because. So the next time you think of smart-mouthing your boss, think of Ann's stupidity and what she got for it, and refrain from telling your superior how you REALLY feel about their so-called 'intelligent' decisions. It will only come back to bite you in the end!

"When people honor each other, there is a trust established that leads to synergy, interdependence, and deep respect. Both parties make decisions and choices based on what is right, what is best, what is valued most highly." - Blaine Lee

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Have you ever noticed how each individual person has their own movie playing across their face?

Yes, I'm aware of how weird that sounds, just bare with me for a moment.

What I mean is, you can often see exactly what a person is thinking about or feeling by studying their face. It seems like you can see right into their heart when they let their guard down and think that no one is paying attention. It's amazing some of the things that are revealed in these vulnerable moments.

I happened to be in first period this morning, and having just made the trek from my car in the gym parking lot to the front entrance of the school, en-route to chorus class (I could never handle any of my other headache-inducing classes that early, so yes, this is my first period. I'm aware that I'm a slacker.) and I was feeling very Tuesday-ish. For those of you who don't know, Tuesday-ish is that almost-cranky-but-not-quite-there-yet feeling that has a whole lot to do with how your Monday treated you. And let's face it, Mondays don't exactly have a reputation for being kind to us. I think my Tuesday-ishness also had to do with the fact that it was hot and muggy outside this morning, which contributed to my bad hair day. So you get the picture. I wasn't cranky, but I was pretty close. My hair was a mess (I envy all of you men out there), and I was hot and groggy. Great way to start things off. All the same, I hustled down the crowded, gross-cafeteria-breakfast-food-perfumed hallway (breakfast pizza surprise this morning I think), and arrived at my destination a few minutes before the bell rang.

As I pushed open the heavy wooden door and made my way inside I was greeted with the faces of a few of my fellow classmates, each looking as sleepy and annoyed as I felt. Ah, the camaraderie in that room. Save for the VERY few cheery-eyed morning people dotted around the space, we all dragged our feet and books towards our seats and proceeded to look like sitting zombies. Being a little early to arrive, I settled in to watch and make small talk as everyone else filed into the room. It's hilarious to me to see all the different faces of people when they walk in. Some are calm, some are annoyed, some plain out angry, some happy, some run-down, some indifferent. You can tell exactly what kind of morning they've had so far. That's the thing with young people, we wear our emotions like a huge neon sign on our foreheads for all the world to see. It can get pretty entertaining.

One particular person stood out to me in particular though this morning. You could immediately tell that her mood was not a normal one. As she walked in the door, she stared straight ahead, her neck and eyes never wavering from some fixed point in the distance that no one else could see. Her little face was somewhat swollen and red, and bore no evidence that she wore any of her usual amount of makeup. Adorned in sweats and a T-shirt, she emanated depression. She spoke to no one, but simply put her things down, pulled some chairs together, and laid across them with her head in a friend's lap. The friend said nothing, and wore the same empty stare on her face. Neither person moved, spoke, or even tried to comfort the other. They simply sat in accepted silence, lost in their own thoughts, a world away from the regular sounds and sights of the classroom.

What was amazing was that not one person made any move towards them to try and pry out what their seemingly mutual troubles were. Another thing about young people, we're nosy. We gossip, and we love a good story. So you can imagine my surprise when not one person out of my sixty-something person class bothered those girls. It was like everyone was afraid of what might happen if we broke their stupor. There seemed to be some sort of unseen barrier, some unspoken rule that we knew was inhumane to break. So we left them there, alone with their trials and tribulations. It really struck a chord with me. And not because I was in a music class. Ha-ha.

You never know what someone is going through. For example, you may be at a local restaurant, and have a waitress or waiter who does everything wrong. They get your orders wrong, they fumble over your drinks, or they make it seem like it is a huge burden just to get you an extra napkin. Therefore, you yourself become irritated and short-tempered and leave them no tip and complain to the manager. But what you might not know, is that same waiter or waitress could be upset because they didn't have the money to pay their rent, and had just gotten their eviction notice that morning. They could have just lost a family member. They could have had a customer before you be incredibly rude and cold-hearted towards them. It could be any number of things. But you, immediately assuming that they are just a jerk, react with the same amount of harshness towards them, making their bad day worse and ruining your own day as well.

This cycle of anger can be prevented. All that's needed is a little bit of kindness. Because you truly have no way of knowing what that person is going through. We should be building each other up, not helping to tear each other down. The world is a harsh enough place without us fighting amongst ourselves. People need and deserve compassion. One small act of kindness could make someones bad day or situation lighten up. Even if it's just a moment that they forget their worries, it's enough. They realize that there are in fact decent people out there. And they in turn might be more willing to show other people more patience and kindness than they might have before. Seeing others be compassionate to people they don't even know can warm even the coldest heart. So when I saw a friend of the somber chair-laying girl come up to her at the end of class and silently pat her leg, give her an easy smile and walk away, I cheered up considerably, and was in good spirits for the rest of the day. Something so simple and effortless can mean so much to people.

One thing that my dad has always told my brother and I really jumps out at me as I think about this sort of thing. He always says I don't care if people seem like they don't deserve your patience. I'm sure you aren't so easy to be nice to when your in a bad mood either. Just kill them with kindness. It's sort of a paradox, but it makes sense.

So the next time you encounter someone who is anything but polite to you, take a moment to give them the benefit of the doubt. Treat everyone with politeness, even if they're mean to you - not because they're nice, but because you are.

"A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble." - Charles H. Spurgeon 

Expectations

There are so many things that can be said for my generation. It is one surrounded by an unfathomable amount of toleration, speculation, and low demands. Society has one common idea about those of us between the ages of thirteen and nineteen today: that there isn't a whole lot to be expected of us.

How long do you think the term teenager has been around? Honestly, just take a quick guess. You're probably thinking that it's just one of those words that has been around forever, like any other word. In reality, the word was never even documented until 1941 when Reader's Digest used it in one of its early issues. That means that the term has not even been around for seventy years yet. So what were individuals in this age group called before 1941? I'll tell you what. They were just people. They held jobs and important positions in everyday life. They contributed to their families, homes, towns, and cities by working hard and doing what they had to do to make it. They didn't just sit around and meet the lowest of expectations, because their society asked more from them. The problem today is, teens don't do more because no one asks or expects them to accomplish anything outside of making their bed every morning and perhaps pitching in to wash the dishes after dinner. The potential is there in every teen, but its been known to happen that when the difficulty of a demand is low, the skill level used to achieve the demand sinks as well.

I have seen and been apart of such lowering of skill many times. It's painful and embarrassing to witness and take part in, but it happens all the time. One obvious example of it can be found in sports. Those of you who have read a post or two of mine before know that I am an avid athlete, volleyball being my personal passion. I cannot tell you how many times my team and I have played a much lower level team than ourselves, and struggled to beat them. It's because we succeeded in sinking down to their level, and because not a whole lot was asked of us to beat that team. We didn't achieve much and didn't work hard or really do anything at all. This is what society today is doing to teenagers. It's put us in this stereotypical bubble that tells us over and over again that it knows that we aren't capable of as much and that it's alright. It tells us so many times that we start to believe it, and therefore sink to its lower levels of accomplishment.

Think back to the times of our country's beginnings, of frontier life and the exploration of a new world. People then were put into two categories: children and adults. Either you were a child, which meant that you weren't mentally or physically able to contribute to your family's needs; or you were an adult that pulled your own weight everyday for the better of your family and friends. Back then the classification of being a child or an adult had to do with only one thing: puberty. Once you went through puberty, you were an adult, and therefore expected to work just as hard as your mother and father. There was no such thing as the teenage years back then. Girls as young as fifteen got married and ran their own households and took care of children, while men of the same age held jobs and supported their own families single-handedly. So what's changed between then and now? It certainly isn't the quality of people. Teens still have all the potential and capability that those of old did. The difference now is, society isn't asking half as much of us as they used to. They are dumbing us down, asking very little. And when you ask just a little, you will only gain just a little.

Politicians and local officials all the time ask what is wrong with today's generation, and say that we as a group are in a downward spiral and are nothing like the generations of yesteryear. They have called us the laziest generation yet, one that is more ignorant and difficult to deal with than any other. Well wake up and smell the coffee you ludicrous, selfish, stubborn administrators! Grow up yourselves and be some sort of decent role models. YOU are the ones that are raising us and molding us into what we are becoming! Do you think we were just born this way? I think not. We are merely the product of what society has infiltrated into our minds and everyday lives. Nowadays most of the people in a position to make a difference such as senators, governors, school councils, and other government officials are not at all interested in what young people think or need. All they care about is getting the biggest paycheck possible, and if that means passing a few new bills, laws, or regulations here and there that may or may not be beneficial to the overall population, they won't hesitate to do it. From my experience with them, all they want is a quick fix for our everyday problems, one that will cost them as little money and effort as possible. Newsflash government officials, the easy way out is NOT what we need. What we need is for those of you out there who have power over our future to do what will be best for US in the long haul, not for you. You aren't the ones who will be ruling twenty years from now. It will be us. The younger generation. And if you don't shape and lead us the right way now, all of the generations of the future will suffer just as we are currently. It will be even worse for them. We need adults out there to push us to reach our full potential. It won't be easy, since we find ourselves in a bit of a pit right now; it will be very, very hard. But growing a new generation of intelligent, well-rounded, well-informed, hard-working people is a hard business.

It is said that when more is asked of someone, they will rise to the occasion. The same goes for young people. If someone would just step up and ask more of us, I'm sure the majority would rise to the occasion as well. We are capable of so much, and have all the potential to outsmart even the greatest teachers, scientists, and philosophers. People aren't just born geniuses. They have to be tended to and nurtured just like the most temperamental of flowers. So yes, this generation might be the laziest, but it isn't our fault. Society has pampered us and made us forget what hard work and determination is. All we need is a big shove in the right direction, and we can become the next group of world changers, and impact people across the nations.

All we need is a little hope, a little knowledge, and some very high expectations.

"High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation." - Charles F. Kettering