I was destined to watch the show. Yes, that’s what I’d like to think. I was meant to watch Hallmark at about half past 8 in the morning, while they’re airing Oprah Winfrey Show.
I’d always watched it whenever it’s on air. It has taught me so much, showed me so many things. Made me laugh. Made me understand more.
Today, though, was slightly different than any other. They were airing the "School Challenge Day". It was about the students of Monroe High, who accepted the challenge to get to know one another, tackling issues like racism, labels, personal problems, and so forth. Things that teens and young adults deal with in their everyday life… in our everyday life. They begin with the sentence, "If you know me…" then they’d finish it. After that, they did a "cross the line" thing, where they have to cross a line drawn across the basketball field when they feel like they’ve been treated in certain ways. The motivator would say categories, and those who felt like they’re in that particluar situation must cross the line.
It was an eye-opening experience for me. I got to sit and watch and listen, what it feels like to be labeled, to be called names, to be intimidated. I was so touched by this girl, whose mother left her when she was 8 years old. She said thank you to her teacher, for hugging her and telling her she loves her. She said that in those 30 seconds, she felt more love than she’d ever felt. From that point on, I watched the show with tears in my eyes.
I realized that, while I too was a victim of these kinds of scrutiny, I was also a doer. I don’t view myself as someone who’s victimized all the time, but from two sides of perspective. It hurts like hell to admit that yes, I’ve been called names, I’ve been dealing with this and with that. It also takes a lot of courage and self-awareness to admit that you’re also doing the horrible stuff they mentioned to your friends, but they did it anyway. That’s when I realized that I was no different.
I’m almost 20, but the subject hit close to heart. Because even though I’m in university, I still hang out with my high school friends. And because me and my colleagues are still in our first semester, we still act like a bunch of high school students. We call each other names. Sometimes we don’t know what affect it has on the other person, because we think that it’s a joke.
Now, I speak from a victim’s point of view: when someone mention your flaws, albeit your skin color or your body or your ethnic, it hurts. It cuts you deep inside. And you can’t go bonkers about it in public. You have to maintain yourself. You have to gain your composure, hence the plastic smile. Inside, however, it’s like a volcano’s about to burst.
I’d like to apologize to everyone that I’ve hurt by calling them names or if my other actions have hurt them in any way. I realize that you don’t deserve they way to be treated the way I’ve treated you. I know what it’s like, and I’m sorry for inflicting that pain into your life. Though we might not get along well, I’m so sorry for making you question yourself.
At the end of the day, no matter what, we, young adults, have our own problems. We deal with parents’ expectations and that of the society. We deal with labels and nicknames and cat calls and such things. We’re not alone. We have each other. And we can help each other. No matter where we are; who we are; we’re just human beings entering adulthood.
