Finding Yourself and Take a Stand

How can you stand for what you believe in if you don’t even know what you believe? Throughout current readings, issues in the United States, and personal inquiry this is something I, or maybe even you, find myself asking. Being young is the time to find ourselves, question our beliefs, and figure out what/who we stand with. To be able to find out for what you believe in one must figure out who they are. The future is an exciting thing and in light of all of the current events happening in the United States I feel that it is important to take a stance and figure out what you truly believe in.

Entering college is a huge stepping stone in life. You’re finally free to do what you want, on your own time, and figure out who you are as an individual. With all of the crisis, movements, elections, and other events happening in the world at this time I feel as if now is the most vital time to become an adult, figure out who I am as a person, and who I stand with. Although the United States has come a long way within the past century allowing more and more rights for women, African-Americans, and the LGBT community there is still a conflict. We cannot unite as a country. I believe this is due to the lack of identification amongst ourselves. As Americans we are known to live in the land of the free but in reality we aren’t as free as we should be. We face judgement for when we actually take a stance. “Oh you think so-and-so should be president- well you must be uneducated.” With fear the fear of judgement we lack expression, we’re afraid that we’ll be shot down for expressing ourself. We will never find out who we are if we don’t take a stance. We acknowledge the things happening around us but what good is it if we don’t act. Is it only necessary to act when it pertains directly to us?

At my old school I was faced with new opportunities all of the time. My school was extremly diverse. I got to know other people and their beliefs and what formed them. I got to meet people from different ethnic groups, socioeconomic backgrounds, and different sexual orientations. I got to learn their backgrounds, struggles, and beliefs. I believe this allowed me to become a more a more open-minded person and see the world from different perspectives. It allowed me to question what I believe in. If I wouldn’t have put myself in new situations, I would know less. In a way by getting to know others, you begin to find yourself.

Everyday we will be faced with new opportunities and chances to define who we are. Although we may not always know who we are, we will never know if we don’t take a chance; explore. We find out who we are when we put ourselves in new situations.