Ever since I was a little girl, my mom always expressed how important happiness is. Not at the stake of other people's happiness, but for your own sanity you need to be a little selfish at times. She told me "If you love something, and it makes you happy, pursue it, fulfill your passion". I grew up doing just that. I've always adored pictures and movies, idolizing the work and talent of the professionals I aspired to be. I started my own collection of pictures, cameras and movies as young as I can remember, always trying to expand my collection. I took thousands upon thousands of pictures among my youth hoping to capture a moment just as beautiful as all of the other pieces I swooned over. To this day that is still true, I am in awe of many artists skills behind the camera whether it's videography or photography.
However, in the mist of expressing myself through a hobby I deeply enjoyed and felt connected to, I was always questioned by my family, friends, and my peers. These countless remarks were asked upon a frequent basis, both criticizing and questioning something that I genuinely am passionate about.
"Why do you have so many pictures in your room? Don't you think you could spend your money on better things than a new camera? Your room looks cluttered and messy because of how plastered your walls are with pictures. Wow, I really hope you grow out of this phase".
At first I would think to myself..."damn maybe I am too weird and obsessive about this, maybe I need to step it down a notch." At one point in time I actually second guessed if i was out of the ordinary, because other people were judgmental and didn't understand why I enjoyed doing something that brought me eternal happiness. Then after thinking about it for awhile, I realized that absolutely nobody has the authority to tell you what you should/shouldn't be passionate about, or judge you for indulging in something that brings you inner peace and happiness. By no means should anyone ever have to justify to anyone else why something brings them joy.
How many times have you went to talk about something you were extremely excited about, while people rolled their eyes and told you to stop talking? It feels like a slap in the face, as if whoever you're talking to could care less. However, this issue far surpasses the freedom of expressing your passions and hobbies. People are unable to express their inner personality, sexuality, and creativity out of crippling fear of being ridiculed by their peers, family and friends. Because of a judgmental and bitter mold that society bestowed upon multiple generations, we are close-minded and naive as a result.
Take a moment to think about someone you went to high school with, someone that was very quiet and to themselves. Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe they were too afraid to interact with other people out of fear of rejection? Did they get picked on and ridiculed by kids because they were interested in other things rather than the "social norm"? After constant years of bullying and torture, kids that endure this kind of treatment at such a tragically young age sometimes take their lives to escape the bullying (This is the 3rd leading cause of deaths among young adults).
Everyone preaches that we need to have peace and unity among the world, but it's clear we can't even accept people we call peers, friends and family for who they truly are. How can you expect to agree and settle on disputes and wars if you can't even at least respect a different opinion other than your own? If someone wants to explore their life long dream in acting, support them! If someone tells you they like the same-sex or they are afraid to be different than everyone, support them! Diversity in all aspects is extremely important, and if we can't learn to collectively accept the differences between one another -- there is no hope for bettering our world.
