A Realization

I was sitting casually in my bedroom, thinking about this blog that I've sort grown tired of writing for, when I realized something: Nothing on this blog matters at all.

The "description" under the header of my blog has always said "This is my blog, I talk about things that matter" but today I have come to realize that this is a massive lie. As a person who talks constantly about existentialism and the inevitability of oblivion, it's fairly obvious that nothing I've written on this blog is actually "important." I feel like my description should instead read, "This is my blog, I talk about things that don't matter."

If you know me at all, it's obvious that I believe humanity is insignificant to the universe. Yes, all people contribute to shaping the world in some way and yes, everything that you do has led you up to reading this sentence. But this blog, in all honesty, is very negligible. The world would still turn and people would still go about their daily lives if I had never created it. The only thing that would change, really, is the amount of homework I'd have to complete.

Now, this isn't a blog post just to talk about how unimportant we all are (I've written one of those before). I just thought I would mention it because I suddenly realized that I sound very arrogant. I do not talk about things that matter, because different things matter to different people. Claiming that I am one of the only people who writes about these things (that probably don't matter) makes me feel sort of ridiculous.

Anyway, now that I've started this blog post, I should probably make a point.

I don't know about you, but a part of me feels like my life is unimportant. Maybe it's because I'm not Beyoncé, or maybe it's because I'm so small in comparison to the massive universe. This is sort of irrelevant to what I was just talking about but think about it: There are, what, 7.12 billion people on this planet? You're 0.000000000014035% of the planet's population – I looked it up. While maybe that's something that makes you feel small, it's also sort of amazing. In a world full of frustrating, vaguely annoying people, you were given this little life in which you go to school and eat fruits and vegetables. It feels nice, almost, to be so unimportant.

If you think about it, it would sort of suck to be famous. You've seen the movies: a pop star with her life planned out by someone else, stuck in a cycle of paparazzi and crazed fans. That's not what I'm talking about, though. Your life is an extremely personal thing. To be given your own hands and a mind that no one else could ever understand…it's sort of extraordinary.

It's like that Bill Nye quote: "Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't." Everything that is currently shoved into your brain, everything that matters to you, and all the knowledge you've ever been given is all yours. No one will ever understand things like you do. You have a mind of your own with opinions unlike others'. You're a singular, individual personality. You're a separate person, detached from the realm of this troublesome world, and you exist.

This is absolutely the stupidest picture I've ever put on a blog post but.
Look! We're all different colored fish :)
Image Credit Here

A/N: I sort of went off on a tangent (10 points to Gryffindor for the use of the Vital Vocab word), so I apologize. To summarize: my blog does not matter at all, but it's alright because being small and distinctive is a good thing in a world full of different people who will never know you at all.

How To Survive High School

Perhaps the title of this post sounds overdramatic and childish, but it's not supposed to be like that. When people hear the words "How to Survive High School" it often sounds like a chapter book that you'd see in a middle school library – one with pathetic advice and explanations for your first crush.

The thing is, there are people who actually don't survive high school.

I'm only a freshman and I already understand this. I'm in all honors/AP classes this year, and it gets extremely overwhelming sometimes. I will write/have written countless posts about the reasons the education system should change, but for now:

I'm making this list. And throughout the year, in developing blogposts, I might add to it. Here are some things you should do to help you survive high school:

1. Befriend your teachers. Though this seems pointless at first, it can come in handy. Maybe it seems cool to be the offhand rebel student that talks back and makes jokes, but this is such a bad idea. I've gotten A's on projects that others in my group have failed simply because the teacher likes me.

2. Make a list of your homework and add to it throughout the day. It's SO EASY to forget about things you have to do, and then you're failing a class because you've neglected a few assignments.

3. Keep a single homework folder. I used to have multiple binders to lug home every day, which is a very terrible thing. Hold on to one folder. That way you can flip through pages and everything is right there and it's all handy and neat.

4. Have a pair of headphones with you at all times. For those of you that take extra curricular classes like art or CTE, music is a lifesaver. Along with tuning out teachers that talk for too long, it's also a very non-controversial way to tell someone you don't want to engage in conversation.

5. Pretend to pay attention. This is helpful for accomplishing #1. If you want to actually pay attention, that would be a better option, but if you hate a teacher too much or can't handle listening anymore, play games in your head. Count the amount of times they say "uh" or "um" or "mkay?" (I've done this so many times. It looks like you're taking notes or deep in thought.)

6. Schedule time for your homework. When you're on the bus or in a nonproductive environment, take 10 seconds to consider when you're going to do your homework.

7. Eat breakfast. This sounds so stupid, I know, but I have so many friends that don't eat breakfast and it really confuses me how they manage to function. Force feed yourself some Cheerios. You need food to churn your brain gears.

A portrait of me at school
Photo courtesy here

I normally hate blogposts like this. I don't blame you if you scoffed the entire time while reading this, because what would I know? A fifteen year old freshman telling you how to get through high school seems a bit inapposite. It's not like I know how anything works in high school – hell, I'm still in a building with a bunch of 8th graders.

Also, I've always thought advice blogs/columns were disturbingly stupid. Receiving guidance from a person who doesn't know who you are is and doesn't know what you need to hear…it seems unnecessary.

Still, I feel like everyone can agree that high school is not easy. Everything is sometimes hard to manage, and often it feels stressful and tiring and useless. It's not, though; education is actually a really great thing to have. You just have to learn how to survive it.

Settle For Less

A student comes home with their final report card, disappointed in some aspects but somewhat proud. They've received mostly A's and B's, along with a single D but that doesn't really bother them. They worked hard this semester and are fairly pleased with their good grades.

The second they enter the kitchen their mom/dad asks to see their report card. As a parent, their eyes go directly to the D. Their first response is immediately "You got a D in History?" because that's what they see. That's what doesn't fulfill their expectations.

As a student, their parent's retaliation seems heart crushing. The student didn't think it was that bad. One D, they thought. My other grades were all good, they thought.

It's disturbing that most adults focus on kids' failures as opposed to their successes.

This is true in all situations. This is the reason that adults constantly ridicule the younger generation for everything; technology, for example, is not appreciated for being impressive and revitalizing – it's scoffed upon for being distracting. This is the reason that kids don't feel appreciated for their hard work.

This comes up on Google Images if you search "parents clipart"
Photo Courtesy

It's not just parents, either. Everyone does this. All people subconsciously focus in on the substandard things rather than admiring what they have achieved. All people work a harder to become something more; all people strive to be good enough.

So, is it ever going to be good enough? Or does everyone keep reaching for a report card…an approving smile…a lifestyle…that's unachievable? If the student works hard enough, will their parents ever look at them and say they're perfect? And if they say it, are they lying? Of course it could be better; it could always be better. No matter what it is, you could achieve more.

For some people this is inspirational. If you can always improve, then there's always something to reach for. This is a form of motivation.

For others, however, this reality is immensely defeating. No matter how hard you work, how fast you climb, or how hard you try, you'll never reach the absolute maximum of human accomplishment.

So settle for less. Do everything to your best ability, and be proud of yourself for it. Look at your report card and think, hey, I worked really hard on this. Don't ever deride yourself for not being good enough, and don't let anyone degrade you for your pride.

The Large Gap Between Where You Are And Where You Should Be

The thing is, you may feel sort of unaccomplished. Maybe you're like me and you spend your minimal free time looking at pictures of dogs dressed as bees. Maybe you're life is a repetitive cycle. Maybe you're slower than everyone else, and maybe you feel a bit behind.

That's sort of okay, though.

There are people in the world who move really fast – the type of people who are ahead of all their responsibilities, homework, and chores. These are the type of people that have everything planned to the minute; the type of people that text you "hey" and say "sorry I have to go" two minutes later. Treadmill people. They take advice from time and never stop going places. These are the type of people who are rooted into their beliefs. Always on the ground, never distracted. Stable, conscious, fast.

Then, there's everyone else. Possibly you. The people that feel like everything is moving too quickly for them to keep up – like they're constantly running to catch the bus but it pulls away as soon as they arrive. They sometimes feel like they're moving too slow, but that's fine. They take their time on their homework, chores, and responsibilities. They're the type of people that will sit down at the bus stop and accomplish something else as they wait for the next vehicle. They'll text you and ask you how your day went, and (even if they have something else to do) they'll maintain a conversation. These are the type of people who are suspended in the sky. Gentle, free-falling, slow.

There's nothing wrong with moving "too slowly" or being "behind everyone else." Take your time. Breathe through everything.

There's also nothing wrong with moving quickly. Write a final essay in 27 minutes. Check something off on your to-do list and sprint to the next objective.

But:

If you look at other people and wish you were there, stop doing that. I'm serious. Stop. Maybe it doesn't seem that easy ("I can't just stop being envious of people") but you actually can.

Try to compliment someone else without comparing them to yourself. Try to look at people and flood them with admiration. Everything is beautiful and everyone is beautiful. At some point you'll realize that you're a part of everyone, too.

Actually, the title of this post is a complete lie. There is no "large gap between where you are and where you should be." You are THERE. You've accomplished everything you're supposed to have accomplished. This is for you:

Do you think they actually posed for this, just suspending their hands in the air like that, or were they actually mid high five? Anyways, photo courtesy here

A/N: This is actually a fairly inspirational post, which is really unlike me. I mostly wrote this because I was feeling overwhelmed and very behind with schoolwork/responsibility. It sort of made me feel better. I hope it does the same for you. 
Also please excuse the high-five picture. I'm required to add an image to every one of my posts and for some reason I thought it was funny.