I have realized a lot of things this summer. I have realized that people watch as others do bad things and they never say something. I have seen people be apathetic, watch the world crumble around them and stay removed.
I have learned a lot. I have suffered a couple things that have made me think about my mentality and see that it will probably change.
I have seen people become the bystander, seen things happen and say nothing. Know that their actions are wrong and never say anything. Whether that be someone manipulating others and their friends never saying anything or whether it be those who cheat on their friends. It’s this idea that people don’t feel compelled to act or speak up.
I have seen that some things that you care about are left to chance, no matter how much you try to be prepared. I have seen that life can be unfair, no matter what.
But is this a good thing? Should I just accept these things and move on? I don’t think so. I don’t think, more importantly, I can.
Things should be made more fairer. People should be held accountable. Just because this is the way it is doesn’t mean it should be. We should all speak up to help those around us. We shouldn’t let silence make us culpable. As one of the Green brothers said (in my loose paraphrase) we shouldn’t look away. I have experienced these new things, but I want to remain myself. I don’t want to live jaded, but I want to try to make things better.
I want to surround myself with people who will speak up. I want to be better about speaking up. I want to work towards a system that will be more fair. I want to try to give people fair chances. I don’t believe that this is the way life is and should be. If I can, I will do my best to do my part.