Hey, guys! You know who it is, so I won't bother telling you.
So, today I wanted to talk about culture. That sounds weird, and possibly offensive, but the way I mean it is different: the way people behave these days (or at least Americans), problems with the new society, things like that.
Now, when I say society, I don't mean politics. I mean standards.
So let's start with (and most likely end with) teenagers. This is where the most problems arise. Once you're a teen, it does not mean that you have to change yourself completely! A lot of teens, unfortunately, do just that. Here are the main problems:
Phones: Where to start? The thing about phones, they detain us from actual social interaction. Many people that I know will literally sit right next to each other and text back and forth. When I ask why they don't just talk to each other, they say that it is simply more fun that way!
I may be one of the lesser side of people interpreting it in this way, because I am one of the few people who don't have phones! I have never owned one, and at first I wanted one; all of my friends had them, they texted each other all the time. I always felt left out.
But after a literal year, I realized that I didn't want a phone. I did not want this form of corruption that had already corrupted part of my friends' action towards me. I did not want to unknowingly give others the cold shoulder (as I first interpreted it) as had been done to me.
Now, if you have a phone, please do not be offended. I know many people have phones only because their parents want to be able to reach them for safety reasons. I just wanted to tell you how this can be taken by others.
Social Media: So, we all love to see what's trending on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc., right? But this also a problem. You see, such social media sites as these can, and most often do, give you a false vision of other's lifestyles.
If you do this yourself, you may or may not be surprised to know that others do it, too: people take about sixty pictures of the exact same thing, just to find the perfect one to post. The perfect picture is almost never the true reality of it; most of the time, it is either the lighting that they took ten minutes getting just right, the perfect outfit that they had been planning for days, the painstakingly detailed, divine-looking meal that they payed way too much money for.
I would say that many live in constant fear of how each of their pictures are taken by their audience. How many likes they got, what the comments said.
Something that many people don't realize is that social media is almost like a war. A subtle war, to be sure, but a war, nonetheless. This is how the war works: one person takes an amazing picture, which suggests that their life is picture-perfect (literally!). Someone else sees it, thinks, Gosh, she's perfect! I wonder if I can top that... the next day, they create a picture, most likely Photoshop it, and bam!
Suddenly they're popular, trending, and (in some cases) viral. That is, for one to three days. Now someone else has the crown, and you're left to read the comments on how amazing they are.
This is how it works in a mind-blowing amount of cases.
Sure, sometimes someone will post something literally because they feel like it. Or they just want to share it with the world. Those people are actually happier. They didn't try, they were simply themselves. And that's how it should be, right?
Self-Esteem: Everyone is happy if others like something of theirs, how they performed something. It is part of human nature to respond with a positive attitude towards approval (though there are those people that only complain about why they didn't get more approval... these people are casually placed in the annoying, stuck-up category).
But what happens when your actions are recieved badly? How do you feel then?
You feel as if you have failed your supporters, and you will sometimes try extra-hard to fit in as a result. You want to keep making others like you.
But sometimes, it's best to remember the one thing that you will always know: it doesn't matter what others think. If you are criticized for something that you are happy with, ignore it.
Obviously, there is a difference between the people who actually care about you versus the people who simply want you to be exactly like them. If your mom tells you that she is not comfortable with something so revealing as what you are currently wearing, of course you listen to her.
The difference is when someone (a friend, a classmate, etc.) tells you that no one else is doing, it, so you shouldn't do it.
There are two things that are confusing about all this: One, how do you stay on good terms with those you deny? Two, how do you decide upon doing what you want, without regret in the future?
The first one is actually optional. If people are treating you badly, it is best to stay away from them completely. Find someone else who is like you; different.
If the people are ones that you respect and truly want to know, just act like you don't care what others think. (Hint: it is helpful to master the actual feeling...)
Or, you could just detach a little. You don't need to be best buds with the people, right? Maybe you could just sit with them at lunch every once and a while, talk a little before class.
The second one is very easy: keep in mind consequences. e.g.If you want to dye your hair a vivid purple (with permission, of course) you may want to start with a little at a time. Try dying the tips of your hair only. You might want to try this with a haircut in mind. That way, you could simply cut off the ends; no damage done!
Or simply putting something the same shade as the desired color next to you hair. Does it look right?
Consider how the change would affect you. Would you be able to conceal it for performances and other? Would it dry out you hair too much?
Always remember who you want to be. That is a wonderful way to live.
Trends: You get to your friend's house, and he/she is wearing something interesting. You ask where they got it, and they tell you the brand name, along with a casual remark on how it's trending right now. That makes you panic. Trending? If it's trending, you may go to school tomorrow and be the only one without them! That would be so embarrassing, right?
So you order it immediately. Once you have it, you realize that it's not really your style, the color is not flattering, and, it's uncomfortable. But you wear it anyway. Gotta fit in.
The next day, you're so glad that you ordered them. Everyone else has them, so if you didn't, you would be the girl hiding in the bathroom all day.
It's popular for a week. You are super excited to come back next week; another week of fitting in! When you arrive Monday, however, you realize that no one else is wearing them. You attract stares, people are so surprised that you're wearing something so two days ago!
You get home and throw them away. What's the point?
This is how many trends work. You buy it, you enjoy it, you regret buying the stupid thing.
Hint: don't follow trends. It won't be trendy in up to a week.
I hope that you have enjoyed my list of the unfortunate problems in this day and age. I promise you, I have experienced the results of all of these.
Let me know in the comments if I left anything out that you find stressful, yet standard.
I love you all! Thanks for reading!
- Hope :)
