Hello, ladies and gents. To preface this short article, I would like to say that lately I have been spending a good amount of time just contemplating the following: life in general, why certain things in life matter more or less comparison to other things, and really just what I personally feel like life is all about, at least in this period of my life. So, this is essentially a written version of all the super disorganized thoughts inside my brain at this exact moment.

Lately, I’ve put a lot of thought (possibly too much) into the idea that you as an individual person are capable of causing positive or negative transformations in your life, based on the decisions you choose to make on a daily basis. I mostly consider this regarding social media and the way we have ultimately been taught to respond to social media’s influence on us and the people around us. In my opinion, you can choose to let social media affect you in whatever way you want it to. I, of course, recognize that virtual bullying is definitely an epidemic that has plagued our society ever since mobile technology was created. However, since this has been such a widely discussed topic for so long, we tend to use social media as an excuse for allowing negativity and anxiety into our lives. Basically, I believe that you truly have the ability to let in or block out negativity, and that, therefore, your daily reactionary decisions allow you to have or not have the kind of life you wish to live. You are in control. So if we all have that control and we all decide to acknowledge that, then wouldn’t we all live happier, healthier lives? I don’t know, but I think this is something we should keep in mind.

I honestly do not understand the point of being cynical or malicious by judging people out of pure spite. I would like to fully admit that I am guilty of all of these things which disgusts me, but it has definitely developed to become a part of our human nature. Obviously this does not in any way make these things acceptable only more common. I cannot comprehend why our selfish nature consumes us to a point where we obliviously or purposefully allow our words to ruin a person’s day. I think we all need to recognize the fact that we have a lot of power with our words to dictate our own or another person’s day. Hypothetically, if everyone decided to consciously choose their words to promote optimism rather than kindle negativity, I believe that the majority of the anxiety and general tension would disappear. Doesn’t that sound like an easy fix to a worldwide epidemic? Yep. Well, I guess it’s easier said than done, which is ironic considering the fact that I’m telling you to choose your words with greater discernment. Just try.

I could most definitely go on and on about the overwhelming amount of flaws plaguing our community, but I would rather leave you to take in just these few thoughts and truly mull them over. I genuinely would love for you to consider these topics and formulate your own opinions, and I encourage you to even write them down as I did here. To encapsulate the general ideas shown above, we all collectively need to consciously choose to radiate positivity to others. Don’t be mean. Let’s attempt to heal our wounded little world; it can’t be as hard as it sounds.

Photo Credit: Grace Wakeling

Written by

Grace Wakeling

Grace Wakeling, junior, loves spending time with her friends and family. She is the Managing Editor for The OLu MUSE, and she enjoys writing very much. Her other interests include reading, drawing, and eating ice cream. Also, her favorite book is The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.