Dare To Be Yourself

     Throughout my Blog I have talked about a bunch of different social expectations. The big question now is, "what do we do about it?".

     The sad part is, you will never be able to escape the expectation and judgement of society. The most you can do is try to ignore it. If you do not care than people will be less likely to bug you about it.

     It doesn't matter how old you or what you look like, or what you believe in; society has no right to have certain expectations of you. You are an unique individual. Nobody should be forced to be someone they are not.

     It is scary to think of everyone changing to fit in with societal expectations. A world like that would be too boring, too formulaic. There has to be a sense of wonder and interest in the world. If you could know exactly how someone would act based on social expectations. it takes all the fun away from discovering a person for yourself.

     You should be the judge of what you think of someone, not what society thinks. The only way you can escape society expectations is to not fall for them yourself. Ever heard of the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover"? It is true. Everyone is unique. It is your job to prove society wrong. Don't judge anyone until you have had an actual conversation with them. Get to know them a bit before deciding what you think of them.

     It is important to remember that you will be judged. You will be ridiculed for what you like or what you believe in at some point in your life. The trick is not letting this change you. So what if someone doesn't like you? That's their problem, not yours. You should never change who you are just to fit in with society.

     Chances are, there is someone like you that you do not know about. Just because society judges you as something, does not mean that everyone will judge you the same way. You have to trust in the fact there are others out there like you, that won't force you to be anyone but yourself.

     As you should be.

Pictures:
www.sonic-dashie.deviantart.com 
www.wikihow.com
www.imgion.com\

Acceptance into a Group

 
     Society says if you act a certain way or dress a certain way you will be accepted into a different social group. If you do not live up to these social "norms" you will not be accepted into that group.

     For instance, if you want to be popular you have to dress and act differently than the others around you. You have to stand out, yet fit in at the same time. To be popular you must be well dressed, usually have some money in your pocket, and talk down to all of the non-popular people beneath you. If you do not do this, you will not be considered popular to society.

     You can also be put into different groups unwillingly according to social norms. If you are smart, wear glasses and like to have intellectual debates you could be considered a nerd. This may be true, but it is not pleasant to be put into a group that you do not necessarily agree with.

     Just because you like a certain style does not mean you need to be put into groups, especially if that group is considered negative. People often mistake how a person dresses versus how a person acts. Society says that teenagers that dress like Goths (all black, dark makeup, etc) are people that often cause a lot of trouble. They are rude, and they only care for themselves. This may be true for one or two of the people that dress this way, but it doesn't mean they are all this way.

     Another problem with put people into different social groups would be the exceptions. What about the people that do not fit into a social group? They are left on the outside with not ability to find a group to fit into. In this society acceptance is very important, most people do not feel complete unless they feel a kind of acceptance into society. So putting people into groups forces people to be a certain way to fit in. Everyone will find away to be accepted into society, even if they are not being the person they actual are.

     Often society looks only skin deep and expects people to be a certain way. They put people into groups/categories based on this and are unwilling to believe any different. This is not the truth and it should not be seen as the truth. We are all individuals and completely unique from one another.

     Society will believe you will be friends with people depending on what social group you are put in. This is not always true. Just because you have some common characteristics within a group, does not mean you will get along with someone. Like I said, we are all unique, and there is no way of guessing who a person is.

Pictures:
laurenmarsters.wordpress.com 
soapombri.wordpress.com

Should You Tip?

     What makes certain jobs more tip-able than other jobs? Why does society tell you a waitress at a restaurant deserves a tip, but the cashier at Wal-Mart doesn't? Why should you tip anyway?

     Waitresses make minimum wage just like cashiers do, and cashiers work just as hard as waitresses. So why is it fair that waitresses get tips? It's not just that waitresses get tipped, but we are expected to tip. If you do not tip you are seen as a bad customer.

     People can argue that they work hard to make their living and they deserve their tips. I do not think this is a good enough reason to make a tip. It is your job to work hard; it is what you are getting minimum wage for, so you do not need any extra money from customers on top of what you already make.

     I'm not saying tipping should be outlawed or anything. That would be silly. It just bothers me that you are expected to tip for no good reason. It is bad enough that we pay taxes on everything we buy, but now we have to pay an extra 12% of our meal in tips?

     I always feel the need to tip and most of the time the waitress does not deserve it. I think tips should be held and only given unless they do such a flawless job that you think they deserve the extra cash. Unless they go above and beyond their job standards, they should not get paid above and beyond their hourly pay.

     I recently came across this video, via a close friend of mine, and it emphasizes my point. (Warning: Foul Language and Inappropriate Content)

     I agree when he says "if she doesn't make enough money she can quit". If she thinks that she does not make enough money working minimum wage without tips, then she should find a different, better paying, job. I know this is not always possible. But he is right when he says that these ladies aren't starving, they are making enough money.

     I just do not feel the need to tip just because society says that some jobs are worthy of getting tips and that some are not. Everyone works hard, there are a lot of jobs for difficult than being a waitress, yet we do not tip these people. It is our money and it should go to whom and what deserves it. Sometimes that dollar tip would be better in my pocket than in the waitress's.

Pictures/Videos:
www.cartoonstock.com
www.levonamala.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qV9wVGb38

Eating on the Run

     We are human, therefore we are busy. These just go hand-in-hand. So what if you are on the run and have no time to eat? Not a problem! There are so many places you can go to get a quick bite to eat. The only thing is, we sacrifice so much for speed.

     If you look at most of the fast food places out there, they aren't very healthy. Or healthy at all. There are donut shops, and burger places, but not many places to get healthy food fast. Society expects us to live healthy, be skinny, and still be able to run around and do everything in life.

     I think this is hardest when you are a student. Often you are in school full time, as well as working part-time, a lot of the time fast food is the best option. Unfortunately there are few places to get "good" food. There are Subways, and places like Pita Pit, but these are less accessible. There are McDonald's almost every other block in bigger cities, and there are few healthy places.

     Chances are, you are closer to a McDonald's than a Subway. So we eat what is most convenient. Society cares more about what is convenient, rather than what is actually good for their health. The obesity rate has been going up and up every year because of this.

     It is more convenient to eat out, but it is healthier to pack a lunch. A good way of avoiding take out, is making extra. If you know you are not going to have time to make breakfast in the morning, or make something for lunch, make something the night before and just keep it in the fridge. Or, if you are making dinner make a little extra and just take leftovers with you. It will be a lot cheaper and a lot better for you this way.

     We are too busy to eat healthy and too busy to work out. We need to find time in our lives to slow down and start caring about ourselves. I know that most people's lives are really busy, and making time for things like your own well-being is hard, but it something that needs to be done. Being successful is important, but it means nothing without your own health.

     Hopefully this blog will make you think twice about the next time you go to a fast food restaurant! There are better options out there, trust me. Don't waste your health. The food at fast food places don't even taste very good. It is honestly just a waste of money.

Pictures:
www.fitbodylife.com
www.zimbio.com
www.ci.berkeley.ca.us

The Meaning of Life

     There is a huge societal expectation that we are all born for a reason. We must do something in our life that will benefit the world around us, even if it is just a small accomplishment. There is no way you can live your life in all pleasure, at some point in life you must settle down and do something meaningful.

     I see nothing wrong with this assumption personally. I agree that everyone one day needs to settle down, and grow up. We can't be teenagers forever. There comes a time in your life when  you can no longer so partying every weekend. You have more important things to deal with.

     At the same time, I do not believe everyone needs to accomplish something huge in their life. Honestly, we are not born for some special divine reason. We exist simply because our parents chose to conceive us. I do not believe in destiny, and there is no one goal that our entire life lives up to. 

     We like to believe this as a society though. If we had no reason to live, then why would we be here? We need an excuse, some kind of reason for why things happen. I think that's the basis of most religions. God created us for a reason and we must live and find that reason for ourselves. But what if there is no reason? What if we are here purely by accident?

     I think a lot of people struggle with this concept. What is the point of life? Why bother live any more if there is no real meaning to life. I personally do not have this answer. I ask myself all the time "What is the meaning of life?". But there is no right or wrong answers. There are only theories. 

     What do you believe?

Pictures:
chroniclesoffibro.blogspot.com 

Be Your Own Person

     You are supposed to be an individual; you are supposed to be different and unique in every way. But for god’s sack, do not think for yourself. That is wrong.

     We are special; each and every one of us is different than one another. There is at least one thing about you that makes you different than the person you are sitting beside. If this is a good thing, then why are we not allowed to speak our minds? Why aren't we allowed to have our own opinion and view on how things should be done?

     I go to school every day at the same time, and leave every day at the same time. I go to all of my classes; I listen to all of my teachers, and write down everything they say. If they tell me 1+2=3, I must believe them, because they told me so.

     But what if I want to believe that 1+2=4? Okay, so I'm pretty much dedicating this post to my philosophy teacher. He hates the idea of listening to teachers, all day, drone on and on. He has challenged my class many times to prove that 1+1=2, can you? I think philosophy should be a mandatory course in all schools. It is the only class that allows you to think instead of learn.

     Learning is important, yes. But thinking is equally important. We should be allowed to think for ourselves without being controlled by anything else.  Learning can only get us so far. You can learn everything you can know about the world so far, but then what? If we could not think, there is no way we could learn more.

     Do you think all Einstein did was listen? No. He spent a great deal of his time thinking, he used his own brain to deduce the world. Yes, he probably spent some time listening and learning as well, but he was still able to think for himself.

     Society does not want us to think for ourselves. But why is this? Because it is afraid we will disagree with some of what society believes. And if people start to disagree with society, all goes to hell. So it asks you to not question it, and just listen.

     Will you? 

Pictures:

www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu

presbyterianblues.wordpress.com

voiceofthemonkey.com

quotez.co

Personal Morals

     What are the forced morals of your society?

     In some countries it is completely against a culture’s morals to have an abortion. In our society, it is a justified act. There are many places you can go in North America to get an abortion. If you are under age, you don’t even need parent’s permission. It is completely your choice. Though, some people in our society disagree with abortion; it is still a very common occurrence in our society.

     But isn't it murder? Why is it in our society we can ignore our morals in certain cases? Again, society bends the rules in a way that is convenient for it. It doesn't matter if we believe that murder is wrong. We still justified mercy killing, and abortion. These things are okay, but cold blooded murder isn't  I honestly do not understand this.

     Some may argue that a fetus is not a living being and therefore it is not murder, but why is it up to you to say that something is or is not worth living? I do not think that anyone has the right to say who is worth killing and not.

     You can have an abortion up to three months into a pregnancy. At this point the fetus already looks like a human. It has arms and legs, and a head. It may be small, but it still has the characteristics of a human. Which brings us to ask, what makes us human? Is it our ability to think? Our ability to move?

     So someone that is disability, they do not have the ability to use their brain like we do. Does that mean they should just be killed off too? When someone is no longer able to think for themselves, are they nothing but an unwanted pet?

     We have the option to say they are not worth keeping around any more if they are unable to speak for themselves. But what if they want to live? How can we know what they want? This is what makes this subject so hard to talk about. We try to do our best for them, but it is hard to know what is best if you cannot talk to that person. We just have to follow our social morals. What would society say is okay to do?

     Now, I know this is a very controversial subject, and many people will disagree with what I am saying. I encourage you to disagree with me. I'm curious to how other people, in the same society as me, view these issues. 

Pictures:

www.bjreview.com.cn

www.inspirationfalls.com

Is It Time To Have a Baby?

     There is a certain societal pressure to have children when you are "of age". This meaning, once you are into your career and are in a stable environment it is time to start having children. 'Everyone must have children', that is what the expectation is.

     Okay, so that makes a lot of sense. The only real reason we are born is to reproduce and keep the human race going. But, not everyone has to have children. Not everyone -wants- to have children. It is just what we see as the life goal of everyone. When you are younger you dream of getting married and having kids; well I did at least.

     Sometimes things get in the way of this. Some people just cannot have children, due to health problems. What then? Or what if you are gay? You and your life partner can't exactly have children of your own, so what do you do then? You often hear people say, "You can always adopt!." Even though this is not the same as having your own children, people feel raising a child is an experience everyone is supposed to have.

     In a world as over populated as it is, I do not see the need for everyone to go out and have children. We have, what, seven billion people on this planet? Why does everyone need to go out and increase this population? There are so many people dying of starvation, and in third world countries, there isn't much more room for people. So why are we still telling people to have big families? I think the population should find a way to go down to a more reasonable number.

     Also, not everyone wants to have children. Some people are okay with having a successful career and a loving husband, maybe even a cat; you do not always need to have a bunch of children running around to be happy.


Pictures:
www.bubblews.com
www.mamamia.com.au

The Twist of Commandments

     I will start off by saying, I am not religious. That doesn't change how society has bent the "rules" of religion throughout the years. Now, like I said I am not religious, and I had to do research to be able to talk about this. Please feel free to correct me if you believe I am wrong.

     What I have come to understand is, there are these ten commandments that are supposed to be followed, but society in this day and age have kind of flipped them to their benefit. I will go through each and explain.

     1. You shall have no other gods before me.

     How I interrupt this is that there is only one god and you should only pray to one god. You should worship only one. Some would argue that they have not defied this rule. Yet people's need for material possession has erupted to an almost worship. Instead of praying before bed, people have started checking Facebook before bed. They put these possessions on a pedestal and cannot live a day without them. How many times have you heard, "I can't live a day without it" about people referring to their phones. This is my point.

     2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

     In our society you see many pictures of what people think God looks like. This is against this commandment. People imagine what heaven looks like; they even draw pictures and show them around. Everyone has this image now, of what they believe heavenly things look like. This is directly against this commandment. If you go on Google or Facebook, or a bunch of other sites, I bet you can find memes of this too. People just take it as a joke. 

     3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 

     Do not use the Lord's name in vain; I think this is a clear one to understand. Do not use the Lord's name in a bad way. Like Oh My God, I can't believe people do that, right? Like Jesus Christ. I swear to God, I will kill the next person that I hear use the Lord's name in vain. I think that proves my point enough. 

     4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour  and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 

     I think a lot of people would argue that this one we keep true. On Sundays all government buildings are closed. All other stores close early. It is the day most people have off work. But this isn't all true. First of all, so many people still work on Sundays. Life does not break just because it is Sunday. In this society, we cannot take a day off. You also have to remember something. Sunday is not the seventh day. It is really Saturday. Society switched the days around in a way that seems more convenient. So in truth, not only do we not celebrate the Sabbath day any more, but most people do not know the actual day of Sabbath.

     5. Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
    This is something a lot of people do not follow. So many families remain broken and unfix-able. There is no true respect for parents any more  in a lot of cases at least. You can also look at a parent's betrayal to their children. A lot of parents will abandon their children and not give them a chance to be honour. 

     6. You shall not murder.

     This one we do keep, right? Murder is wrong. This we can agree on. And the people that -do- murder, get punished. So this one we definitely keep. Wrong. Let's think of mercy killing for a moment. Your grandmother is 97 years old, and your mother decides it is time for her to go to Heaven. The doctor gives her a shot in the arm, and she dies. Is this not murder? Society says that this type of murder is okay, but getting revenge on the guy that stole your heroin is wrong.

     7. You shall not commit adultery.      

     This is something you see so often. I hate people that cheat, as does almost everyone. Yet it happens every day. Society does not treat this as a horrible thing. They joke about it on television shows or movies, and they do not take it serious. I think it is a serious crime, and I'm sure a lot of people would agree. 

     8. You shall not steal.  

     I think everyone steals. In this society it is so easy to download movies and television shows online without getting caught. It is more than this though. People still ideas, concepts, almost everything. Plagiarism is a huge issue in intuitions now a day. Teachers and professors have to take extreme precautions to stop theft.

     9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. 

     The way I interrupt this is you are not to judge someone if you do not truly know them. We do this everyday. This first time you meet someone you instantly have an impression of them Even people you have never met before. You judge them by appearance. There are a lot of people that you have probably seen in passing and you think you know them. Yet, you have never spoken to them. They tell a story based on how they dress, and how they act. This can be unfair, and often untrue.

     Now a day you can walk into a corner store, and if you are a teenager, you will be watched. This is because adults judge all younger people to be bad, villainous. There is nothing you can do to stop the judging, it will just always happen. 

     10. You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's   

     So, I see this as you should not want what other people have and you don't have. You should be happy with what you have and deal with that. This is not true in our society either. Society tells us we should always want the next step in technology. The next "toy" that comes out must be owned. You must always compete with the ones around you. You have to have the best car, the best phone, etc.  

Websites:
http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Second.html 
http://msc.gutenberg.edu/2001/02/understanding-the-second-commandment/
http://www.godstenlaws.com/ten-commandments/#.UVXFpRxORn4
http://www.tencommandments.org/
http://yankeeroo.hubpages.com/hub/Does-society-follow-the-Ten-Commandments

Pictures:
s-giacomazzi.blogspot.com
www.sacredheartyouth.net
www.cartoonstock.com 
ivehadanepiphany.blogspot.com
fleasnobbery.blogspot.com

Get in the Kitchen

     Is it being sexist when you say men and women are different? I may not believe that all women "belong in the kitchen" but there are some clear differences between the two sexes. Society now expects us to say that men and women are equal, which is true, but we are equal in different ways.

     Some women get offended when men say that they are stronger than women, but it is, for the most part, true. I find women are too sensitive about this issue. I understand that you can argue some woman are very strong, and some men are very weak. But, being stronger is a manly feature. A women that is very strong can be described as masculine, and a weak man can be described as feminine.

    Now before you get insulted! There is nothing wrong with this! All men have some feminine features and all women have masculine features. This is normal. Even the most beautiful, elegant women will have features that can be described as manly. Just the same, every man will have features that can be described as girly.

     Even the most manly of men can cry at a sad movie, this is called "showing their feminine side". Men find it very insulting to be called this by other men. But most women actually find this an attractive feature. Just because men are expected to not have emotions, doesn't mean they don't. It just means society shows them as not having any. More and more now a day, you see romantic movies about men that are very feminine.

    But back to the point. There are features that are described as manly or girly. It doesn't mean you are always being sexist by saying that. I think people are becoming skid-ish now a day because they are afraid what they say will be offensive.

    Women are becoming hypocritical. They complain that "men don't do things for us any more. Chivalry is dead. blah blah blah." But then when a man actually tries to be nice, like carry something for you, women complain that they're strong enough to carry their own stuff and that men are being sexist by assuming that they need help. Get a grip, and make up your mind!

     I think that the social expectation to avoid sexism to women is almost impossible. Let's face it men, we are women, and there is no winning.

Pictures:
alphabetapie.com
www.zazzle.com
www.123rf.com

College Degree

          
     There is this social expectation about continuing on with school after you graduate from high school. Most parents dream about their children going to college or university when they grow up. Sometimes they even picture them at certain schools, like the ones they might have graduated from.

     Though I do agree, education is important, it is not right for everyone. There are many jobs that require no post secondary degrees, and jobs like that have to be filled as well. Not everyone can go to school to become Doctors because we will eventually run out of Doctor jobs. As well, not everyone is smart enough to become a Doctor.

     The point is, people put high expectations on what you are suppose to do with your life. Expectations that a lot of people cannot accomplish, no matter how hard they try. Parents, and other adults, need to understand that you can make a well enough life without school.

     In fact, a lot of jobs, like construction, make quiet a bit of money. Whereas a job as a school teacher does not make a lot of money. Sometimes you have to think, how much are you spending on a post secondary education? Is it worth the amount of money you would be making coming out of school?

     It is also not always about intelligence. Sometimes you can be really smart, and want to go to college or university, but you just cannot afford it. Yes, you can apply for OSAP or student loans, but not everyone is accepted for this.

     If your parents are making over a certain amount of money a year, you will not be accepted for a student loan. This is because they feel you can afford to pay for school and the money should go to someone who needs it more. But, just because your parents are making a certain amount a year, does not mean they are willing to pay for your education. So, this could be a problem.

     There is also a clear difference between college and university. If you are a university level high school student, chances are your parents are expecting you to be going to university. A lot of the time this is not true. Many university level students end up going to college not university.

     There could be a lot of reasons for this. A big reason would be grades. Some students just do not have high enough grades to be able to go to university versus college. This is not always their fault. If they try as hard as they can, but no universities will accept them, college is there best choice.

    So, what if you have good marks? Does this mean you have to go to university? No! A lot of students prefer to go to college even if their marks are good enough for university. This is because the chances of finding a job immediately after getting a college degree is much higher than coming out with a university degree. This is because college gives more hands on training. Whereas university is mostly a broader look at a subject.

    I think what I'm trying to get at is: Leave us alone. Schooling is our decision and it should be our decision alone whether we want to go to college or university or go straight into work, People need to trust that whatever we will do, we will be happy.


Pictures:

imaginesomethingdifferent.wordpress.com

studymagazine.com
villagelivingmagazine.ca
thisisalondonparticular.wordpress.com

1 Notification

     You have a computer I see. Is it yours? Are you using WiFi to connect to the internet? Do you even know what the internet is?

     I assume you read that sentence without checking your texts and notifications. Hopefully.

     There is this obsession with "stuff" in our society. This is something recent, that never use to be the problem. Look at the past; do you remember your parents being spoiled with things like iPhones? Probably not.

      So why is it that, we're expected to have all of this "stuff"? You can't really lie to yourself and say that we're not expected to have certain material possessions. For example, when you are a teenager, people just expect you to have a cell phone.

     I know one person my age that does not have a cell phone, and everyone thinks they are weird and should get one. How else would we communicate? Well there are a lot of other ways other than texting, so why is it we expect them to get a phone?

     This is a very technology based society, and without things like cell phones, it would not be the same. We are advancing so much, but is this really a good thing?

     We are leaving so much behind with technology. Soon we won't be able to think for ourselves. We will be walking drones, that follow without thought. Is that really what you want? I would sincerely hope not. But, is there anything we can actually do to stop this?

     Technology is the future, I can't really argue against that, you can't walk away from that. There should still be come social aspects of our lives though. We should be able to go out and talk to people. Have an actual conversation with someone you love. Do not get sucked in by technology.

    My biggest fear is that twenty years from now we will all be emotionless. We are turning into zombies with our cell phones, we can no longer think straight. What are we doing with ourselves? We are better than this ! Don't you agree ?

Pictures:

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bihar-13yearold-commits-suicide-after-his-parents-refused-to-give-him-a-mobile-phone/377604-3-232.html

http://strongmadesimple.com/2012/09/zombie-apocalypse-neck-training/

http://lookupusaphones.com

How are You?

     I really do not understand the idea of small talk. It is not true conversation. It is just a silence filler, and is often uncomfortable.

     When you see someone in the hallway you often say "How are you?", but do you really care? No, do you -truly- care? Probably not. You expect that person to give a quick "Good, you?" and nothing more. Even if they are having the worst day of their life, this is often what they will say too. This is because they know you do not care, and people have become so accustomed to saying this general sentence.

     What bugs me the most is, when people ask me how I am in the hallway, and don't even stop walking! Like, hello, I'm not going to talk to you as you're walking away. If you want to talk to me then come talk to me. Most of the time I do not have to time to respond, or when I do respond they are already halfway down the hallway. I am often left standing alone in the hallway answering someone that is no longer there.

     I think from now on I will just look down when I'm walking down the halls, that way nobody makes the mistake of trying to talk to me. I'm not anti-social! Really I am very social, but society does not want us to actually be friendly. It is just a social norm to start small talk when you really do not care.

     This is not the only form of small talk though. Can I ask you something? How many times do you find yourself talking about the weather without even realizing it? The weather really is not that interesting, yet we talk about it so often. This is because we know it is something that everyone has in common. So when there is suddenly some silence we spit out the sentence, "So... it's pretty cold out, eh?". Obviously it is cold. We do not need to mention this, we all know this. It is just another thing to fill the empty void of silence.

     We have something against silence in this society. I do not understand the expectation of maintaining noise. We find it less rude to talk instead of ignore each other. I don't see why; wouldn't ignoring each other be more honest? Therefore, it would be less rude. This is not how we see things in this society.

     I give you this challenge. Next time you are in an awkward situation, stop yourself from creating small talk. Stay silent. It is only awkward if you make it awkward.  


Pictures:
roshrulez.wordpress.com
twentytwowords.com

The Perfect Teenager

     Something many people just do not understand is: Being a teenager sucks. It really does. Adults do not understand or remember what it is like to be a teen. It is a lot harder than they think it is, that is for sure.


     Teenagers are expected to do so much, and all they want to do is have fun, and enjoy being young. If only they had the time. The pressure from both society and parents is overwhelming. Teens are expected to do have part-time jobs, while helping around the house, going to school for seven hours a day, doing homework; all while maintaining a 90 % grade average. Easy, right?

     To all the adults out there, slow down and listen for just a second. You go to work for what seven-eight hours a day? Teenagers go to school for seven hours a day. Okay, so this is about fair. Teenagers spend two hours (on average) a night doing homework, adults probably spend the same amount of time doing house work. What about everything else? Where does the part-time job come in? What about the chores around the house? When do we get time to ourselves?


     You are only young once, yet you have to waste your youth trying to grow up faster than you should be. If society, or parents, took some of this pressure off, it would make functioning daily less stressful. This would at least make teen-hood less repulsive.


     If you really take the time to look, you would see how busy us teens really are. Still, I must point out that society views us as lazy kids that will get nowhere in life. Are you serious? Just because of our age, we are viewed lower than adults. This is not fair.


     I can assure you, there are just as many dumb adults as there are dumb teenagers. So why are we seen to society as lazy, stealing, cheating, untrustworthy people?




Pictures Taken From:
www.guardian.co.uk
www.uthealthleader.org

The Perfect Size 2

     What makes a person beautiful? In my mind when I picture beauty I picture this size 2 supermodel with long elegant legs. Why do I do this? It is because of all the magazines with these women on the front, giving me unrealistic expectations of what women are supposed to look like.

    Society paints this picture of women being tall and very thin creatures, but this is not realistic to what women actually look like! It is unfair to be given these guidelines of how our bodies are supposed to look; especially when the models that are in these magazines don't even look like that themselves. The amount of make-up and Photoshop that is done to these women is unimaginable.

     So why does society want us to try and look like something that does not exist? Well the simple answer is: It sells. Many companies are making money off our insecurities, like the make-up companies and the clothing companies.

     I'm not saying being "skinny" is a bad thing, because it's not. But there should be more than one type of beauty. People should not be let to think they are not attractive just because they are not as skinny as a supermodel. Size has nothing to do with beauty, and this is what society likes to hide from us.

     Though society expects us to desire thinness, this is not the secret to beauty. The true secret to being beautiful is: truly loving yourself. This sounds corny I know, but this is completely true. There is no way you will ever think you are beautiful unless you keep an open mind, and throw away your idea of societal beauty. This does not exist.

   
   

I Do...

      Is it truly your decision when you say "I do" ? Have you ever thought about marriage ? I would I assume the answer is yes. Many people have a thought about marriage, whether they would like to get married one day or not. But what is the actual point in marriage? And why do you have to get married at a certain age?

    If you want to be with someone, then great, be with them. But why do you need it written on a piece of paper? This is because society believes you need proof that you actually love someone. Society likes to make you think you are alone until you are married.

    In religion, you are not suppose to intimately be with someone until after marriage, and this is how some people justify marriage. But in this day and age, this is not practiced as often. Yet people are still getting married.

   A lot of people want to get married to show their love to their friends and family. And this is fine. But when you get married you should be thinking: "Who am I really doing this for? Me? Or because society tells me you should be married to the one you love?".

    Now that you've decided you want to get married, you just need to find someone. But hurry, you're running out of time.

    Let's talk about Friends for a moment. Not the person you go shopping with, but the show. Have you ever seen the episode of Rachel's thirtieth birthday? She realizes she's already thirty and she's not married, and she has no kids. She feels she needs to get her life in order and get married.

    Society does this to us. If you are not married by a certain age, you are declared strange. It is common for people to get married in their twenties or mid-thirties. By why would you do that if you're not with someone you love?

    You should not be forced into something like marriage if you are not ready, regardless of age.If you are older, you should not rush into meeting someone. Just wait, the person of your dreams will come in time. You will find them when the time is right.

    There are also negative expectations on younger people who want to get married. If you are eighteen and you are with someone that you love, why can't you marry them? Well, you can, but what do you think your friends would think of you?

    Not good things I'm guessing. This is because they feel you do not know enough about life to know whether you want to be with one person yet. Even if you love them. I'm not saying this is always wrong, but it's not always right either. It all depends on the person.

    This is what I disagree with. Everyone is different, and every couple is different. Society expects and believes marriage is right. But this is a personal opinion. What is yours'?

I Love You Mommy, But Why?

     Do you -really- love your parents? Take a moment to think about this. Society tells us that parents must be loved, well because they're our parents! They gave us life, the best gift of all! Does that mean we are supposed to be eternally grateful and bow at their feet every day? I would disagree.

     Just because someone gives you a gift, does not mean you owe them one back. Respect is earned; love is earned. Parents do not understand this. Just because you did me one favor does not mean you have my eternal love and respect. I'm sorry but if you treat me badly, that's it, we're done. You'll be on my hate list.

     I'm not saying I hate my parents. That is not the point. I'm saying you should not be forced to love someone just because of a blood relation. You can't love everyone, can you?

     Can you think of someone you dislike because of personality? They never did anything to make you dislike them, you just have clashing personalities. This is not something you can control. So why is that we're not allowed to dislike our parents?

    You could argue that it is okay to dislike your parents under some circumstances, like abuse. Society will allow this hatred. But they will not allow a simple dislike.

    Try telling someone you dislike your parents, but be careful for the million questions that will follow: "Why what did they do?", "Did something happen?", "Was your childhood that bad?". No, my parents just suck.

     You're allowed to dislike a peer for being lazy and grumpy, but if your parent is the same way you must love them. It becomes a "quirk" that you have to live with and be happy about, instead of hate it for what it is.

    I refuse to love my parents just because society expects me to.