Friday, May 3, 2013

Beneath You or Eye Level?

 An Elective on Perspective
by UMES Junior Brittany Johnson




“Beneath You or Eye Level?

That awkward moment when you look in the mirror and wonder who broke into your house and has the audacity to stare back at you . . . Ok, so we all do things that don’t exactly qualify as activities that build character. But, it doesn’t mean that they have to qualify as activities that destroy your character either. Once you realize that every action has been preceded by a pattern that was set by you, you will start to consider the things you do differently. It goes from being something that you just do to something that’s been primed. An action doesn’t come out of nowhere. You’ve thought about it in some capacity, whether it was a quick thought or you created a blueprint. When you do things that are ‘outside of your character’ you’ve just made the first step toward changing your character. You just have to decide whether or not it was for the better or for the worst.

Sometimes you have to splash water on your face and wake up. You have to consider the phrase, “You’re better than what you do.” If you’re “better” than something, then why do you do it? Wouldn’t it be difficult to stoop to something beneath you? Not being presented with the right opportunity and not being capable of doing something are two completely different situations. You have to ask yourself if you wouldn’t do it, or if you’re just waiting on the opportunity. You never know how green the grass is until you cross the street; hopefully you don’t end up making the trip only to realize it’s the same shade as your own. Wasted time, curiosity, and energy, only to find out what you already knew. Do yourself a favor and stay home. Stay home and water the grass that you’ve already paid to stand on. And if it happens to be bad grass, then move. Don’t tip toe over to the neighbors to enjoy their green grass only to return to your own, smelling like fertilizer and discontentment.

Trust me; I’ve done some things that made me wonder who raised me. Don’t try and outrun the truths that you would rather not acknowledge because that makes the impact even harder when you finally cross paths. The truth can set you free, yes, but it can also trap you. You’ll find yourself stuck in a corner that you backed yourself into because you didn’t want to face the hard facts. If you do it, it’s a part of you. Don’t justify it, identify it. Identify where it came from and address the situation in hopes of redirecting it. 

Develop your negatives into positives; don’t just stand in the dark.

You’ve just taken, An Elective on Perspective

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