A Walk in the Rain

It is sad that the kids of today are going to be our future leaders. To think that people so immature and stupid (to say it nicely) are going to lead us into the next 50 years. I am surrounded by these people all day, every day at school, and trust me when I tell you that they aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. True some of them might grow out of this childish phase, but you assume that they would have done it by now. As juniors in high school, we are expected to be able to make decisions for ourselves and to be mature about them, but that just isn’t so with today’s kids. They are quick to jump to conclusions, and immature when it comes to their logic. How are we supposed to entrust our future with a person of that nature?

This generation is by far the laziest. We rely so much on electronics that we fail to see the importance of doing something by hand. We no longer value the way things use to be; we only see what is now. It is hard to learn from past mistakes when the only thing you are concerned about is the now.

We must be sure to always remember those who came before us and the mistakes that they made. We must also learn to act our age, not our shoe size. There comes a time when we all need to grow up and I am afraid that for most people that age has come and past without them even knowing. There is still a chance that my generation will turn out alright as long as right now, while we still have a chance, we change our lazy ways and not only look towards the future but also remember to learn for the past.

People always need someone to lean on, and I seem to be that person for many people. I can’t help but wonder why they all come to me. Maybe it is because of my ability to listen or maybe because I am the only one there. One never really knows. I never really ask questions, just sit and listen. Maybe offer some advice here or there, but mainly I just listen. Don’t get me wrong, I am always there for them when they need me and I don’t mind it in the least, in fact with out them coming to me I feel quite useless. But, as I said, I just can’t help but wonder why. Why me?

People have always, and will always, need to ‘fess’ up to someone. I am always that someone. I know many things about many people because of it too. I guess, by now, it is always like I need them to lean against me. I feel so useless when I am unable to help with a problem, or cheer someone up. One of my best friends keeps telling me that my heart is too big, and that I will eventually be hurt because of it. You know what? He is probably right.

I love being able to help people, to make them smile, or amaze them in certain cases. It is just the way I am. I am glad they all trust me enough to tell me their secrets, or whatever happens to be on their minds at the moment. I am just thankful that I am able to help.

What Is Beauty?

In every society, past or present, there has been one characteristic that affects the average person’s outlook in life. From corsets in the 1800’s to pin-up girls in the 1950’s, beauty has been, and always will be, forefront in the minds of the population. No matter what background a person may come from their definition of beauty influences the way they perceive others. The Bluest Eye, a book by Toni Morrison, touches on many issues revolving around the subject of beauty. The book tells the tale of a girl who, because of other characters in the book, succumbs to society’s stance on beauty, which at the time was having blue eyes.

The Bluest Eye, a book about a young girl, Pecola, who desperately wishes to be indisputably beautiful, talks a great deal about the affects that words have on adolescent black girls. From birth, Pecola’s mother degraded her daughter by making remarks about her outward appearance. However, Pecola’s mother was not the only one to look down upon the girl and express it vocally. When in school the other children her age treated her as an outcast. The boys in the school would dance around her singing “Black e mo. Black e mo. Ya daddy sleeps nekked.” Black e mo was a term given to citizens whose skin was darker than that of other black people. At the time this book takes place, beauty was considered to be blonde, white girls with blue eyes. Granted, because of this, we come to the realization that there was no way that she would ever be considered beautiful by the people harassing her. But, we would like to think that people would understand that beauty is more than skin deep. If only one person had taken the time to tell her how beautiful her soul was, things might have turned out differently.

When this was written there was nothing more beautiful to people than the look of a white girl with blue eyes. This is apparent because when the narrator gets the gift of a baby doll she explains that the majority of people believe that that is exactly what a young girl wants as a gift. “Here, this is beautiful, and if you are on this day ‘worthy’ you may have it.” How downtrodden the young Pecola must have felt to be in a world where the only thing considered beautiful was the stereotypical young white child. She knew that in the eyes of people around her she would never have measured up because she would never have blue eyes.

In the book, Pecola thought that beauty meant love. She assumed that the reason everyone loathed her was because they thought she wasn’t pretty. She wished that she ‘looked different, beautiful.’ She had this idea that if she could change the way she looked then everyone around her would change the way they acted, including her father and mother. Beauty wasn’t just an outward appearance to her; it was a way of life. She never fully understood this but we as the reader saw that she wanted to be beautiful not only to look good but so that her life would be ‘beautiful’.

Beauty may be different for different people but this book helps us to see that it really shouldn’t be just skin deep. Hurtful words about a person’s appearance can have devastating affects on them, especially if they are young. In today’s society several people say that we have overcome the obstacle of being biased toward the beautiful, but have we really? Are we really any better than the people who ridiculed Pecola in this book?

An Indisputable Bond

Have you ever seen children play a game of patty cake? Could it be possible that the game meant more to them than just the words they where saying? The Color Purple, an award winning movie directed by Steven Spielberg, takes what would seem like a simple game and converts it into one of the most meaningful aspects of the film. From being a childish game played by two sisters to a symbolic bond that would last for over 30 years and would overcome numerous obstacles.

Although the words to the game where simple the symbolic meaning was not. In the beginning of the movie we see the sisters running through a field of purple flowers. They proceed to play the game and recite the lyrics, “Me and you, us never part. Makidada. Me and you, us have one heart. Makidada. Ain’t no ocean, ain’t no sea. Makidada. Keep my sister away from me.” These words provide us with a look into the future of the girls. The words represented a bond that would play out all the way through the movie. A bond that kept them together no matter the circumstance.

By the middle of the movie Celie and Nettie, the two sisters, are forced to separate physically. The bond, however, that was forged by playing the juvenile game is still present. By the time Celie and Nettie are reunited they are all too soon torn apart. The scene in which the sisters are torn apart once more is an intense element of the film. Nettie is being pushed away and stoned in to force her to leave the house in which she has been staying in with Celie. As Nettie was being sent away she turned and went on to play the game once more. Although, she and her sister where not close enough physically to clap their hands in enjoyment they both said the words and moved their hand as if they where still those children playing in the field of purple flowers. This is just a reminder that nothing would keep these sisters away from one another. A reminder that nothing could separate the bond that united them.

Celie and Nettie are separated for over 20 years. Yet, their bond never weakened. The last time we see them together is the last scene of the movie. Celie has been reunited not only with her sister but with the children that where taken away from her at birth. It is an emotional scene in which the sisters play the game for the last time. Although it is a slower rendition of the one that we watched in the beginning of the movie, it is still the same. The lyrics are the same and the motions are the same. The girls are older; their journeys are nearing their end, hence the slower performance. The bond that they shared, the promise that they made, lasted a lifetime. The last time we see them we see two women who are happy again.

They promised each other that they would never be apart. They promised each other that no ocean or sea would keep them away from one another. They promised each other that they would always share the same heart. These women went through more then most of us can imagine in their lives and yet, they kept the promises that where made when they where still young girls. They kept the promises made by that childish game. The bond that they shared never broke. “You and me, us never part”

Some of my closest friends have changed so much that I don’t recognize who they are anymore. Than again I am sure that I am the same way. We are all growing up and getting older, no matter how much we wish to deny it. Some people are able to deal with this change very easily, while others are unable to accept it. I envy those who are able to go with the flow. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am a very laid back, easy going person, but change still scares me. To think that within the next 10 years almost every aspect about my life is liable to change, scares me.

We aren’t the same people we were 5, 10 years ago and we definitely won’t be the people we are today in 10 years. Events happen that are most likely going to change the person we are, and we have no control over them. A death in the family, a loss of a best friend or moving far away from everything that you have ever known are all examples of things that change, that mold us. Things that we can’t avoid.

Some people would love for change just not not to happen. They wish that their lives would always stay the same. But, where would that leave our world? We would all be in the dark as to new advancements in technology, in medical and in the way we live our lives. Things must keep moving forward. In our day and age we do not the the convince to just stomp on the breaks. We are forced to bond into the future, almost as though are eyes were covered. We don’t know what awaits us, but we know that if we stop, even for a moment, that we will be left behind.

Change is inevitable, and more of the time very daunting. But we must learn to cope with it, to accept it. We must change in order to survive in our era. Therefore, change, as intimidating as it may be, is necessary in order for us to continue living without major setbacks.

Shift Happens