Challenger

If there was a perfect time to start being an individual, it would be now. My definition of an individual may be different from what others may think it is. Being an individual is not disliking what is popular just to be different, and it’s not liking things that no one else likes because no one else likes them. Being an individual is liking the things that you like, not because they are popular or unpopular, but because it’s what you like. Shakespeare wrote “To thine own self be true,” in Hamlet. To me, being an individual is just that, being true to your own self.

There is no way that everyone is going to be completely different from one another. It’s impossible. No matter what you like, there is going to be someone else out there that likes some of the same things. We are not snowflakes, but we can still be our own person. No matter what you wear, there is going to be someone that dresses like you. One of the biggest things that get’s on my nerves are groups of people who think they dress so different from other people, yet that whole group of people dresses the same. Unless this is just the way you like to dress, you are not being an individual. I’m not making fun of anyone for the way they dress, I don’t even think it matters. I wish that people would dress the way they want to instead of just following the trends.

I remember when one of the biggest trends was the WWJD bracelets. Everyone was wearing them, regardless of their beliefs. It absolutely amazed me when I would see people wear them in school, and then see them out doing something that I don’t think Jesus would do. It’s stupid to wear something that has a message to spread when you really don’t believe in it yourself. Now I see everyone wearing those Livestrong bracelets, and I wonder if they even know what they are representing.

It’s also hard for me to think that every one that listens to rap music listens to it because they like it. I’m not trying to offend all the people that like rap music, if you like it regardless of what others think then it’s okay. My guess is that most people listen to it just because it’s on the radio, they don’t really like it, but everyone else does, so they do too. This is the kind of thing that I am against.

I don’t listen to the type of music that my friends listen to just because they’re my friends and I want to like the same things they do. I listen to some of the stuff they like because I like it, but some of the stuff they listen to I think is crap. I wish that people would be more open-minded about the music they listened to, and stop listening to stuff just because everyone else likes it. I have heard the argument “If a lot of people like the same thing, then it must be something good.” The only thing I can say to that argument is “PHFF.” That is so dumb that I can’t think of a good response. This argument just bewilders me.

It’s not just the music and the clothes. There are so many other trends that people follow just because. Being the new year and all, I feel that it’s a great time for people to start being themselves. I’m not trying to be negative and say that no one in this school is an individual, and I’m not trying to present myself as Ms. Individuality. I like what I like because I like it, and that’s it. I realize that whenever we graduate, we won’t see half the people that we see everyday in school. Our success does not depend on whether we were popular in highschool. It’s what we make of ourselves as individuals.