| Alright, well I can't sleep right now, and so I'm gonna do something thats out of my usual for posting on here. Im gonna give my thoughts on a few random things... this is going to be a little bit of rambling so feel free to turn back now. Anyways. I've been an RA for almost a whole year now and there are a lot of things I have seen that have reaffirmed some of my beliefs about kids. First off, I don't believe there is enough responsibility these days. I don't feel like people own up to their actions, they either blame it on someone or something else. You know what, if you get drunk, you are still accountable for your actions because you should have known better. You knew what you were getting into before you started drinking, it's not an acceptable excuse. But this isn't just about drinking. People don't realize that they have to be responsible for themselves. Responsibility is a big reason why I dont agree with abortion. If you find me one person who is having sex and doesn't know that it can lead to making a baby, then that person can get an abortion. Past that, I don't agree with it. When you decide to have sex, you know full well what COULD happen, and if you do get the woman pregnant, you damn sure better have that child because you knew what you were getting in to and you better man up and take responsibility for your actions. But back to other things, so many kids hear that college is the greatest years of your life and think they should be able to just party and get away with it while neglecting work. I know it may sound like it, but I'm really not against partying, but you know what, you have to find a balance, a balance that works for you. I've seen so many kids who have G.P.A's that are like 1.0 and the likes of that, and its not because college isn't for them, it's because they think they are acting like they are supposed to. Which leads me to the next thing. People are too afraid to be individuals. I know people are going to disagree with me on this point, but you know what, its most certainly true and if you really stop to think about it, you would realize it too. We grow up watching movies like American Pie and movies like that, that teach us that life is all about drinking, all about sex, all of those things, and people believe it. I'm not saying its wrong, what Im saying is that most people don't think for themselves and decide that route because thats what they like, they decide that route because thats what will make other people like them. No, Im not saying this is everyone, but its probably more people than you would expect. Im in close contact with my residents and I have a different view point then just a student. I've talked to a hand full of my residents who have admitted to not really wanting to live the life they are leading... but you know how many of them change... almost none of them, because they are too afraid of seeming different. This is what leads people to be miserable with their lives and do nothing but complain about how awful things are all the time. If you are complaining about how awful your life is, you are either too pessimistic and don't realize how lucky you are in life or you need to make a change. Either way, you need to own up to the choices you have made. It is not our parents fault, we can always make our own decisions in life, there is always a way, but in order to do that, you have to take responsibility and also do something about your own life. It's sad when people wont be an individual, it is one of the things I hate to see more than anything and it's one of the reasons I do the job I do, because I want to show kids that you don't have to act like that if you don't want to. But I'm in a lose-lose situation. When I act like this they say that I have to because Im the RA, if I were to go out and get drunk they would look at me and say "well if he does it, I definitely should" But then again, thats the what happens when you are in a position of influence. I am not exempt from any of my statements, there have been many times where I have been up at night, wondering why I don't have a girlfriend, whether Im making the right choice in life and I wonder whether things would be different if I did go out and get drunk and have sex. I realize that the answer would be that things would be easier, but not necessarily better. I hold myself to a higher standard because life is about achieving more and always reaching further and if I took that easy way, yeah I may find a girlfriend, but would it really be someone I wanted to be with? We all struggle through things, and I think too many people take it for granted that it's better to be truly happy later than it is to be happy right now. This is not to take for granted the fact that people need to make mistakes along the way to realize what they really want, but I think if we as a society didn't push these lifestyles in front of kids, more of them might be more inclined to take their own paths. After all of this though, do you know what reaffirms me that I have made the right choices and should be an indicator for everyone as to their choices: your friends. I have had one of the toughest years this past year, but I've always had friends there with me. Whether it is everyone back home who are always there or my friends here, who even though I have only known them for a short time, they have helped me out too. When you have friends and people in general who care about you, no matter what choices you make, you've done something right because people are there to help. When you don't have that, when your friends aren't always there for you when you really need them... then something just isn't right. On an unrelated note, I dont know how many have heard about this Don Imus situation where he called the Rutgers womens Basketball team "a bunch of nappy headed ho's" But you know what, I think the whole thing is ridiculous. As he stated himself, he wasn't trying to be malicious in his words, it was just a failed and improper joke. But I don't think he needs to be fired over this incident. If you listen to most any rap CD nowadays, I guarantee you that you will hear the word "ho" in there ATLEAST once, atleast. I'm not saying it should be an accepted term, but if you are going to boycott Don Imus for saying it, then I believe we should boycott everyone in the rap industry for using it and anyone else who uses it. The problem with race relations these days is that everyone is walking on egg shells. If one group of people is acceptably allowed to use a term, then everyone should, simple as that. When we don't allow that to happen, it is a form of racism. We need to quit worrying about WHO is saying something and focus instead on HOW they say it. Now these are not solid facts about everyone in life, nor are they scientifically tested theories, they are just my opinion based on solid reasoning and observation.There is a lot more I could say, but I doubt anyone read this far because I doubt I would have if I didn't write it, but feel free to leave any comments you wish. Like I said, I couldn't sleep, and I figured I would switch things up a little bit... I will probably find it dumb in the morning, but oh well. Enjoy. |
