I'm 21. God I'm old, I guess it was only a matter of time till I had to come to terms with it. What do I want from my life? I don't want to be alone, it's something I guess. I want to be happy, but what is happiness? Is it being with those who you love and are loved by in return? Is it doing the things that you enjoy, without fear of judgement or repercussion? But then, what is love? And who has the right to judge you for being you?
If I were to go back five years and give myself one piece of advice, what would it be? What if I went back ten years? Would that advice be the same? Surely not, what I needed to know ten years ago and what i needed to know five years ago are not the same thing.
I would tell myself from ten years ago to be who you are, and be comfortable with that. You have emotions, never forget that other people do too. Think before you leap, but only so far as the next jump, for you can't know what lies just around the river-bend. And most importantly, salicylic acid and a good moisturizer will save you a lot of trouble in the coming years.
Five years ago, Be honest with yourself and others. Plan your words carefully, they can cut deeper than the sharpest blade, or bludgeon better than the biggest dictionary. Pay attention in class, and some of those ideas you have this year will set you right for the foreseeable future. Nothing is certain, be free to change your mind, but remember there will always be someone smarter than you. For gods sake, don't assume that you are right, you make mistakes more than you realise, learn from them. If you want to be really excellent, try to learn form others mistakes as well.
Better yet, what will I tell myself five years from now? Was it all worth it, the pain and happiness? Have you traveled, shown someone new amazing sights that you yourself haven't ever seen before? What have you learnt? Do you look beyond what you see, because you should. So much is hidden just below the surface, much like the riverbed its surface does not show the wonders or the dangers that lurk below the surface. Assume nothing, you knew that ten years ago, you should remember it now.
So then what is happiness, it is being with those who you love, its doing the things that you enjoy, without fear of judgement, its trying every day to be better than you were the day before, even if its only one thing. Give someone a complement, or go for a walk and think about nothing the whole time. And what of love? Give it freely, accept it when it is given. Shout it from the mountain tops when it consumes you, and let it be your guiding light when you feel down. Let none judge you who are above judgement themselves.
We are all equal, and all deserve to be treated how we treat others.
