This I Believe...I am Myself

This I believe... I am not my sister. Although my sister is great, I am my own person. I have grown up with different people and have had different opportunities and struggles. Therefore, how can I be the same as my sister? I have different interests and different values. I spend my time doing different things, and I have different expectations of me. How then can I be my sister? For almost 16 years people have been comparing my sister and I. It’s time to stop. No siblings, friends, peers, or people should ever be compared. We all have had different experiences, and we are all different people. No one is on the same playing field, so why do we constantly compare ourselves? All high schoolers take the same multiple choice ACT test for college applications, and while some are great at testing, others may be just as smart but can not demonstrate their knowledge with A, B, C, or D. In the media of today, “a beautiful woman” is described as a size 2, but not everyone can attain that standard even with exercise and diet. So why then do we assess women's beauty by comparing them to an unattainable figure? This constant comparing lowers people's self-esteems by great amounts and makes them think they are not good enough. Why would anyone want to feel that way? Instead of comparing people, and showing people what they don't have, why don’t we talk about what people do have? My mother may not have a medical degree like my father, but that does not mean she is any less intelligent. I am positive my father would never have the patience or skill set to work with low test scoring middle schoolers, but my mother does every day. My sister wants to pursue a career theater, but she doesn’t want to go to broadway or NYC, she wants to perform in Milwaukee. In what way does that make her any less successful of an actor compared to someone on Broadway? If someone can run a mile in 5 minutes, but another person can run it one in 7 minutes, does that make that 7-minute mile person and less of a runner? They are still running aren’t they? They still put the same amount of time and effort in, right? And who knows maybe they started at a 10-minute mile… I would consider a three-minute change a huge improvement. So why then does the person with the 5-minute mile get to be considered the better runner? This constant comparing is helping no one but the 1% of the population that are able to be at the very top. So why then do we do it? I believe people need to stop comparing. I believe people need to be themselves, and that's all. I believe everyone has a talent and is skilled in their own way. I believe that I am not my sister, parents, friends, or peers. I am myself, this I believe.