Dear everyone,

“They tell you to be yourself. But how can you be yourself when you’re only going to get hurt. They tell you to love yourself. But how can you love yourself when everyone else hates who you really are? They tell you that you can do anything? But how can you do anything when people resent you because of your gender, intelligence, figure, or wealth?”

These are the everyday thoughts of a woman. Hurts when you think about it. You teach your children the quotes opposite of these thoughts, hoping it will stick. But in a world like today, what’s the point in teaching it in the first place? I know it’s sad, but think about it. Everywhere you go, you can see a child getting bullied, a woman being shamed, people being judged for something. There are organizations and people who try to talk to students and others, trying to change these ways, but there is more needed to change than a speech or two. This world was raised on Nationalism, racism, sexism, and all the other ism’s out there. So how are we supposed to do something about it, when it’s how we were taught to think?

It is sad to think that, in my lifetime, not much is going to change. It is going to take a long time to even start to progress. Look at how long it took for women's right to vote. There is hope that we can change. If we can even start to break off the labels and just become people, many things will change.

Labels are the main issue. All the ism’s are based on labels. “You’re a woman, you’re not capable of that!” “We are just better than the black people!” “No one should support Gays, it’s unnatural and disgusting!” I have heard these words come from people’s mouths and it’s the disgusting thing! Women can do anything, and sometimes better than men. We are all humans! We are no different when it comes down to the heart! This shouldn’t be stopping us from being one as a whole, not us vs. them. Finally, No one has the right to tell you who to love. If you are happy, then the people who love you should be happy aswell, and the people who aren’t shouldn’t matter.

These labels are the reasons for war. Whether it be religion, race, or opinions. There is no excuse for what has happened to everyone during these periods, but the thing is, is that the leaders thought they were doing the right thing. In every war, the “bad guys” (depending whose side you were on) genuinely believed they were doing right. That's the sad and scary thing.

There are people like me who fight everyday to get these social standards out of their heads. I read a quote once that stated: “the first thought that comes to mind is what you've been conditioned to think, the second thought is what you actually think.” For a long time these labels and standards will not leave. These are what we have been conditioned to think. If we can somehow get everyone to think that we are all equal, that standards and labels shouldn't matter, maybe then will we start to accomplish something.

Sincerely,
                     

Lexi V.