Westlake Word

No matter what happens, it is always possible to change. Whether that change is for better or worse is up to you. Everyone deserves a chance to be happy, no matter who they are or who they were. 

 

There are bad people in this world, but it does not mean that they don't deserve to be happy, everyone does. The world is full of bad people with beautiful hearts; beneath their actions and reputation is someone who is good. 

 

Every single person who has ever walked the earth has had a bad day; they are inevitable. Some people may have fallen on their worst days and not been able to get back up. Others have made it through 100 of their worst days, so they can live 100 more of their best days, and they rise when they fall, but not everyone can rise.

 

When it is time for a baby bird to leave its nest and learn how to fly, it may seem impossible; it is difficult but possible. The bird is not going to immediately be able to leave the nest and soar with the eagles; it is going to fall and make mistakes, and that is ok. But what determines whether or not the bird will ever be able to learn how to fly, is its ability to get back up after it falls. Even if it broke its wing, even if it broke its leg, even if it feels impossible, it must get back up, no matter how hard it is to learn how to fly. 

 

People are the same way. We must learn how to fall before we can learn how to fly. So many of us jump into things expecting to fly without falling; whether it is a relationship, a job, or school, we must not only learn how to fly, but how to get back up after we fall. 

 

From a young age, most kids are taught that it is ok to fail and that they can learn from their mistakes, but one thing we fail to teach kids is how to get back up again. They grow into this mindset where when they fall; they are going to be left there and that they are alone and no one is going to help them up. Consequently, people tend to find seeking help in the future or allowing themselves to be helped as difficult. 

 

As a society, things are slowly changing. 

 

People are trying to change beauty standards and become more accepting and more open about things such as mental health, sexuality, and gender identity. What society is failing to see is that by not teaching people to help each other up when they fall, it leaves them with a sense of loneliness, not independence. We need to learn how to build each other back up, not tear each other down. 

We spend so much time trying to change things and fail. It is time to change our methods. It might be too late to change this generation, but there is always the next generation. Parents can teach their kids how to be kind; teachers can teach their students about empathy from a young age; society can be more open and learn that the world does not have to be so black and white.

 

We live in a world where everything is happening so fast it is like time never stops, not even for a second, and we are under so much pressure that never ends. On our worst days, breathing becomes a monotonous task that may be painful to fathom; on our best days, we are living on cloud nine. 

 

The drastic difference between these is concerning. People tend to have more of their worst days than their best days. We deserve to be living in a cloud nine euphoric state for more than just a few days every so often; it should be every day, but this is a thing of fairy tales and something the human race may never achieve, but we can take steps that will lead us closer to this destination. 

 

The world can always change us, but we can’t always change it. This does not mean that we do not have the power to change the world; we still have that power. We hold that power within our words, within our voices, within our hands. Everyone has this power, it is time to execute it and pursue this world of euphoria that seems so far away, but it will never get closer to us if we do not use the power we have, and no action is too small. Something as simple as holding the door open for someone, or something more complex, such as telling someone how you feel about them could make an impact. 

 

Taking these steps can be difficult for many; they might find themselves getting hurt and feeling like they can’t go on, but they can always go on even if they feel like they’ve hit rock bottom. 

 

We need to start showing others that it is ok for them to be weak at times and feel broken, but we also need to show them that it is ok to ask for help and that if they ask, they will receive it. We have given people the short end of the stick for too long, it is time to change. 

 

No matter what, we are always going to be afraid to fly due to the fear of falling, but when they fall, there will be a net below them to catch them.