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So, in honor of 'Spirit Day...'
...and as a lesbian who survived, let me say:
It gets better. You'll hear people telling you that this is the time of your life, and when you look back, you'll miss it so much. They're full of shit. Those are the people whose lives did peak in high school, and if you're reading this, you're probably not one of them.
It gets better. When you look back, dear reader, you'll do so with a pang of not longing, but relief. You survived the teenage years. It's not easy, I won't lie. When I was in high school, not a day went by that I didn't think about suicide. I was bullied by teachers and student's alike, and worse, I knew deep down in my heart that I was different.
It was a long time before I came to realize that different isn't a synonym for 'worse'.
Because it does get better.
Now, I live how I want to, and after years as an outcast, I found my 'people,' in fandom. I have a beautiful wife, who I love with everything I am. And I have a job that I enjoy, with people who respect me. It's not perfect, but it's mine. And if I hadn't fought my way through it, I wouldn't have had any of it.
Your life will change SO much over the next few years, that you won't recognize where you started. But that only happens if you let it. There are people who will help you if you need it. Ask them. It's probably the hardest thing to do in the world--to ask for help, but you need to be brave. Let them know that you need them, and they will be there for you.
The world is full of assholes and bullies. But it's also full of people who want to help, and who will do the right thing. And on the days when you can't see past the pain, let them tell you...
It gets better.
It gets better. You'll hear people telling you that this is the time of your life, and when you look back, you'll miss it so much. They're full of shit. Those are the people whose lives did peak in high school, and if you're reading this, you're probably not one of them.
It gets better. When you look back, dear reader, you'll do so with a pang of not longing, but relief. You survived the teenage years. It's not easy, I won't lie. When I was in high school, not a day went by that I didn't think about suicide. I was bullied by teachers and student's alike, and worse, I knew deep down in my heart that I was different.
It was a long time before I came to realize that different isn't a synonym for 'worse'.
Because it does get better.
Now, I live how I want to, and after years as an outcast, I found my 'people,' in fandom. I have a beautiful wife, who I love with everything I am. And I have a job that I enjoy, with people who respect me. It's not perfect, but it's mine. And if I hadn't fought my way through it, I wouldn't have had any of it.
Your life will change SO much over the next few years, that you won't recognize where you started. But that only happens if you let it. There are people who will help you if you need it. Ask them. It's probably the hardest thing to do in the world--to ask for help, but you need to be brave. Let them know that you need them, and they will be there for you.
The world is full of assholes and bullies. But it's also full of people who want to help, and who will do the right thing. And on the days when you can't see past the pain, let them tell you...
It gets better.
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uhm previousely i was only here for the fic but i this post just made me want to get out and write a response=)
I´m sorry it was such a bad time for you and somehow i get this feeling that highschool in the US is quite different than i experienced.
I live in austria and i finished highschool (or our equivalent last year)
and yeah i´m grateful i´m done. but not cause of the people but more because of school as such...
In fact we try to keep in touch as we had awesome friendships through the years.
I was always different, but that was always just ok. cause everyone was in a way or another. i think everyone got that, if we´d be all the same it would be quite boring being around...
I´ve always been "out" as a bisexual and even brought a girl once with me when we had some class meeting in the evening, we made out right beside my clasmates and it was less a problem and more of a "yeah and if you wanna do that do it"
another thing i realized is that we don´t seem to have that much clisheed people or at least we don´t have structures with "jocks" and "chearleaders" and the like.
yeah there are more popular and less popular kids but that´s more to do with how outgoing you are and what your personality is like...
i´ve seen people being cast out but then it just needs someone to stand up and say stop cause the one casting out are most of the time really insecure themselves...
I think all i wanted to say was that highschool or more teenage live can be a peek of live also without being the bully, without functionating like society wants you and without making someone else feel less happy for your happiness...
So maybe i just want to tell people out there highschool can be different...
all these bullies are just afraid themself, of standing up for someone cause in a system where one person is bullied no one can be free cause in a climate of fear freedom can´t exist.
being different isn´t bad, it just makes you a unice individual human being like everyone else=)
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