The campaign of this same name began several months ago. In an attempt to bring more awareness to the tragic suicidal results of bullying and - more importantly - hope to those who suffer from bullying as a result of their sexual orientation, celebrities and human rights advocates began the "It Gets Better" program. Numerous videos have been uploaded all over the web, as openly gay (and even straight) figures of our world illustrate how surviving that difficult time of being bullied in high school or junior high was worth surviving because "It Gets Better."
Personally, I've always had a soft spot for anti-bullying campaigns. This one, though, amazes me with its brilliance. In three words it sums up paragraphs and books filled with advice on how to "ignore" the bullies, turn the other cheek, or merely survive the taunting. When you're a teenager or young adult being hounded on for your differences, you feel like you are different. During a time when we were all trying to figure out social standings and our place within society, feeling like the only different person in that society is worse than being subjected to water dripping on your forehead for eight hours a day. Or it at least it feels like that. These videos appeal to the youth as they struggle through one of the most difficult times in their life - high school - in an honest portrayal of how great life becomes after that emotional abuse.
During my youth, I knew it would get better. High school, I believed, was going to be the best years of some people's lives, but not mine. Every year in my life, I hoped - and still do - was only going to be better. University, although disappointing in the beginning, became better and better until I needed to be done with. I needed to move on to the next adventure. And it was great, even if it wasn't what I had imagine it to be. I learned a lot about myself as I travelled on my own and as I dealt with the politics of private schooling in England. The most difficult thing was that everybody thought I was younger than I was. People, myself included, generally assume I have less life experience than I do...
When that adventure was done - as sad as I was to say goodbye to everybody who I had loved - I came back and hit a low point. That's when the crisis really began. Three years into it, I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Don't get me wrong, I still have "doomed" days where I think I'll never get where I want to be, but mostly I am really - FINALLY - beginning to believe that whatever happens, It ALWAYS Gets Better...
Yesterday was the shortest day of the year: Winter Solstice. I almost love this day more than the 25th of this month. You see, there's always this great buildup to Christmas and expectations for perfection are extremely high. Mix in with that financial stress, limited time to get everything done before ONE big day, family squabbles, and there's the least amount of sunlight of all year in the two weeks beforehand. I'm a big sunshine fan! So, for me, I like knowing that from today until June 21, every day has just a little more sunshine in it. You see, I don't put all this pressure on one day to be perfect, and so, when it isn't, I don't feel like I've been let-down afterwards. I'm not pagan, so its religious significance is lost on me. It's just another day, but it's the shortest day. From then on, it can only get better...
No comments:
Post a Comment