Acceptance is the key to a comfortable life

Thu, 26 May 2011 18:10:37 GMT

By Emily Fischer

Amy Peterson

I look in the mirror every day before I go to school. Being in zero hour this year, my motivation to get up and get dolled up for school on a daily basis has been lacking. For the whole year, up until a few weeks ago, when I looked in the mirror, I did what I think many other people do: I saw everything that was wrong. My hair isn’t the way I want it. My clothes don’t fit right. My skin isn’t clear. My nose is too big. The list was never-ending and constantly growing, and criticizing myself every day certainly didn’t change anything. So, after a little inspiration and thought, I finally decided it was time to stop. We live in an age of constant criticism and self hatred. Whether we hate the way our body looks or we are a minority among a crowd of look-alikes or, quite frankly, whether we are different in any way, it never fails to make us feel lowly and lesser than the ideals we look up to. And it is time to change this. A few weeks ago, Glee proclaimed Lady Gaga the "Queen of Self Love." Lady Gaga was among the first to bring this issue to America ’s attention. Her single, "Born This Way," is a modern pop anthem with one clear, ringing message: love who you are and don’t let anyone make you feel inferior, no matter who you are or what life has given you. This stretches among many aspects: race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, a disability, etc. These things, which are a definite part of who we are, should not be tucked away or hidden somewhere where no one can see them. After all, they are things that we have been given in this life, and they are the things that make us human: love and embrace them, don’t hate or hide them. Another aspect of this particular episode of Glee included an assignment for the characters, who are all a part of a high school Glee Club, where they had to wear a white T-shirt and have their biggest insecurity written on the front in big, bold letters. Would you do that? What would you write if you would? It’s something to think about, and I admit that I would be hesitant to do this. Extremely hesitant. But it’s worth thinking about, and it helps with coming to terms with our anxieties about ourselves and being more likely to accept them. Along with loving ourselves should come love and respect for other people as well. This is because with some simple actions, we can really help make the world a better place. One of the most difficult and most necessary tasks is paying closer attention to the things we say on a daily basis. As I walk through the halls each day, I constantly hear the sayings, "That’s gay," or "That’s retarded." There is nothing right about either of these phrases; they have become so overused that they are said without a second thought of what we are actually saying when these words come out of our mouths. When these things are said, they are given a negative connotation. They are said when we are unhappy with a situation or when we don’t like an aspect of something. And what we are doing is comparing something bad or undesirable to something "gay" or "retarded," which is completely cruel, unfair, and hurtful to people who are a part of these groups. These people walk beside us in the hallways and learn within the same walls of this school as we do; at the very least, we can refrain from disrespecting them by not watching the way we word things. So, please take the time to think about what you are really saying because you never know how someone may take it, and it will undoubtedly have a negative effect instead of a positive effect. Self respect and respect for others can go hand-in-hand. Respect yourself, respect your neighbors, and the world will be a better place for everyone.