“Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to be truly affected by things.” This quote, credited to “New Girl” star Zooey Deschanel, seems to me to be the most beautiful truth I have heard in some time. Now, I don’t believe anything worth reading should only be read once. Go back and read it slowly and yet again, but this time even slower. After your third reading, internalize and personalize her words. What truly affects you?

The truth is, as humans, we are relational beings. What other people do to us, mentally or physically, affects us. External circumstances and environments affect us. Even those personal struggles of both mind and body affect us. So, without question, humans are affected by external and internal activities. The dilemma, then, appears next – do we allow ourselves to be truly affected, or do we will ourselves to diffuse our emotions and replace the latter with impassivity?

No one is perfectly in tune with their feelings or, conversely, exclusively cold. However, the truth is each of us falls on some level of this spectrum. In my personal experience, it seems to me that the modern world is shaping humans to evolve into a race that diminishes its emotions. As a 19 year old in 2016, my generation is defined as the “Me Generation.” To expand, the “Me Generation” tends to focus on “my GPA,” “my career,” “my degree” “my material things,” me, me, me. And how might we achieve this esteemed independence? It is simple - by not letting anything get to us. So long as we focus solely on our academic and financial achievement might we become something.

I am in no way trying to diminish the human ambition toward success. As someone who cares deeply about her own academic excellence, I truly value and respect hard work. I applaud those who discover and ignite their passions to then pursue specific goals with fervor. But I believe balance is imperative, in every aspect of life. You can achieve goals and still do so with a sensitive soul and tender heart. But, if worldly success is all that we value as a generation, what is left? By viewing vulnerability as weak, we undermine that which makes us beautifully human.

As a young woman who admits to feeling everything deeply, I am seen as somewhat of a romantic – too delicate, too mushy, and too susceptible. But I argue there is subtle power in this. I have experienced more strength in my fragility than I have surrounded by the walls that I built myself in order to appear resilient.

We have intricately designed minds, lovely beating hearts, and striking personalities unique to each and every one of us. Humans were not designed to be impassive; it is in our genetic makeup to feel and be felt. That is where true power lies