In elementary school, adults often say "You can be anything you want to be," and "With hard work and determination, anything is possible." By the time adolescents reach high school, most have figure out it was a lie. Not everyone who wants to become president can do so. The number of people who would like the position is large. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, would love to be president for one reason or another, but in a normal lifetime with a life expectancy of 78 (CDC 2010), the position will only be open 19 times. Since the president must be at least 35, only ten out of those 19 times would it actually be possible to run for the position. Generally, only two to three people make it to the election. You don't need to be a mathematician to realize that every child who dreams of being president one day won't be able to. No matter how determined the child is or how hard the child works, it won't matter.
We as adults know this. I didn't write this to go on and on about how unlikely it is an individual will become president. The dream of being a president is just an easy example to understand the basic idea. What I really want to talk about is being yourself. In school and at home, one probably hears a hundred times that one can be anything they want to be. What about being oneself? A gay child in a strict traditional catholic family, may not be able to tell anyone about his sexuality. The person may end up marrying the opposite sex, having a family, and pretending to be "just like everyone else." Why? Survival. It's simple as that. That gay person will never be able to truly be his or herself. If we can supposedly "be anything we want to," then why is it that many of us can never be ourselves, at least not if we want to survive?
I have mental disorders. I don't see mental disorders as being an "illness" or "disorder" or "disease." I see it as being a part of me. It's part of how I'm different from others. Just like hair color and height differ for everyone, I believe that sometimes, our brains are made different. The only reason some of us are considered sick in the mind is because society says we are. It's easier to label us as ill than to build a society that can accommodate everyone equally. My disorders are not my enemy, and yet, to survive and do what I want to do, I have had to make them my enemy. I have had to treat this part of me as my enemy. I have spent many long days trying to conquer the disorders. I am in a constant battle with a part of myself! Why? Because like most people, I have dreams. I have goals. And in order to survive in this society and achieve my goals, I have to. I have to walk around and try to pretend I'm just like everyone else. I have to learn to hide my problems. I have to hide a large part of myself and be someone I'm not.
I don't want to be trapped. If I can be anything I want to be, why can't I be myself? Why can't I be the real me instead of hiding behind a mask all the time. Society doesn't expect everyone to be exactly the same. In general, society accepts that there are different hair colors, different eye colors, different personalities (to an extent). Society accepts some deviancy from the norm, but go to far, mentally or physically, and society is no longer made for you.You are wrong.
Not everyone can be president. Not everyone can be an actor. Not everyone can be themselves, especially if they have dreams or goals. Now I can't say it's wrong or right. Maybe it's better for the grand master plan that some of us fight ourselves. Maybe it's how it has to be. There is no way for any of us to know. The only thing I am certain of, is that we can be absolutely certain of nothing. We are limited by instinct, by mental and physical barriers, by our eyes and ears, by simply being human. We see what we are able to and we build off of what existed previously. Maybe this isn't the conclusion that you expected. Perhaps you thought I would say society needs to change. Perhaps you think people should just stop telling children they can be anything. Lets face it though. Things can't be perfect. Humans will always lie one way or another. Human nature won't change. Society will take it's course and there is little anyone can do about it. I'm just giving you something to think about. Something to question. Come to your own conclusion.
We as adults know this. I didn't write this to go on and on about how unlikely it is an individual will become president. The dream of being a president is just an easy example to understand the basic idea. What I really want to talk about is being yourself. In school and at home, one probably hears a hundred times that one can be anything they want to be. What about being oneself? A gay child in a strict traditional catholic family, may not be able to tell anyone about his sexuality. The person may end up marrying the opposite sex, having a family, and pretending to be "just like everyone else." Why? Survival. It's simple as that. That gay person will never be able to truly be his or herself. If we can supposedly "be anything we want to," then why is it that many of us can never be ourselves, at least not if we want to survive?
I have mental disorders. I don't see mental disorders as being an "illness" or "disorder" or "disease." I see it as being a part of me. It's part of how I'm different from others. Just like hair color and height differ for everyone, I believe that sometimes, our brains are made different. The only reason some of us are considered sick in the mind is because society says we are. It's easier to label us as ill than to build a society that can accommodate everyone equally. My disorders are not my enemy, and yet, to survive and do what I want to do, I have had to make them my enemy. I have had to treat this part of me as my enemy. I have spent many long days trying to conquer the disorders. I am in a constant battle with a part of myself! Why? Because like most people, I have dreams. I have goals. And in order to survive in this society and achieve my goals, I have to. I have to walk around and try to pretend I'm just like everyone else. I have to learn to hide my problems. I have to hide a large part of myself and be someone I'm not.
I don't want to be trapped. If I can be anything I want to be, why can't I be myself? Why can't I be the real me instead of hiding behind a mask all the time. Society doesn't expect everyone to be exactly the same. In general, society accepts that there are different hair colors, different eye colors, different personalities (to an extent). Society accepts some deviancy from the norm, but go to far, mentally or physically, and society is no longer made for you.You are wrong.
Not everyone can be president. Not everyone can be an actor. Not everyone can be themselves, especially if they have dreams or goals. Now I can't say it's wrong or right. Maybe it's better for the grand master plan that some of us fight ourselves. Maybe it's how it has to be. There is no way for any of us to know. The only thing I am certain of, is that we can be absolutely certain of nothing. We are limited by instinct, by mental and physical barriers, by our eyes and ears, by simply being human. We see what we are able to and we build off of what existed previously. Maybe this isn't the conclusion that you expected. Perhaps you thought I would say society needs to change. Perhaps you think people should just stop telling children they can be anything. Lets face it though. Things can't be perfect. Humans will always lie one way or another. Human nature won't change. Society will take it's course and there is little anyone can do about it. I'm just giving you something to think about. Something to question. Come to your own conclusion.
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