A Force to be Reconed With | Teen Ink

A Force to be Reconed With

July 22, 2008
By Anonymous

PRESSURE. One of the most apparent but invisible forces in our lives. It affects us so greatly yet we overlook it all to often. And no, I am not talking about the force applied to an object as in physics, I am talking about pressure applied to our generation, not only by the media, but by our own peers, parents, sports coaches and other daily influences in our lives.

There are every day pressures that most have learned to deal with. Do your chores. Get your homework done. Make sure you practice that. Simple every day pressures that have become remedial. But what other pressures have become so secondary to us that should not.

The media is not to blame for all of society’s problems however it does create an extra pressure. No young girl should have to look in the mirror and say “I’m too fat” or “I’m not pretty enough” because her favorite magazine has only size zero models representing an unrealistic portrait of what a “normal girl” looks like. But it happens. Young men look at their favorite athletes and think “I need to be as big as them now” when these athletes have been training for years. Some of these girls may have eating disorders or some of these boys may take steroids because they cannot deal with the pressures society is placing upon them
The pressure to do drugs, to have sex in order to be cool or popular is also on of the many things young people have to deal with. Honestly, what is so cool about doing drugs? Does it make you a better person? No. And what about having sex? Does that mean your cool now? Chances are both of these things will give you a bad reputation and you will not be fitting in with the “cool kids”.
In the end it’s about personal choice and judgment of character when making decisions on how to deal with all the pressure. All of us have common sense and can make rational decisions on what’s right and wrong and what will be the best choice to benefit not only ourselves but others as well, but what we need to to is choose to make those decisions. It’s not always easy but many of us need to learn when to take a stand and do what’s right for yourself. Mostly we need to realize that you shouldn’t follow the crowd but instead march to the beat of your own drum.
I know that life isn't perfect and it's up to you to make it worth while.
So don't waste your time wondering "what if" or dwelling on the past because you will miss what's right there in front of you. Don't let a day go by without laughing and always remember, life's too short, don't waste it.



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