Freedom, an idea presented and yearned forever since the dawn of time by every human being. It is not free, it is not given, but it should be something that everyone can have no matter the circumstances. In today’s generation, the definition of freedom has become warped and stretched into something that it is not. Society and its darkness latches onto us and chains our wrists to the wall of insecurities, so we are no longer free. It seems there is neither hope nor want to stop listening to what everyone is telling us to be; “everyone” being the bulimic supermodel on television or our so called “peers.”  We are all too busy being brain washed by social media and who hass done it with whom. So if I had the chance to be free from anything, it would be this. This situation, standing in front of all of you while you roll your eyes at my speech or look at your phones because none of you are really interested, are you? Don’t you see, we have all stopped caring? We have all stopped believing in ourselves. We have stopped believing we are beautiful no matter what. In this current position of my life, I want to be free from being a teenager, because no one warned me about the deadly roller coaster I would be on once I entered the doors of this very school.

I remember back in elementary school the only thing one had to worry about was if your crayon broke or some boy or girl grazed your arm and gave you cooties. All one had was a superhero book bag and a big smile on their face once they left school. No long hours exhausting over homework. No worries. Those were the days. We did not have to worry about what the “cool” kids at school would think of us or what that hot guy might say if you wore this revealing shirt. It was innocence, or maybe it was just ignorance.  Now, we rejoice when our friends lose their virginity and brag over pictures some girl sent. Where did the morals and values go? Were they flushed down the drain or were they never placed in our minds to begin with? Patrick Henry once said “Let us not deceive ourselves,” (Patrick Henry) and we should not. We know what is to come of our actions, so why should we even think the consequences would come out differently? High school is not the time to get drunk at parties, and it is definitely not a race to lose your virginity.

Another aspect I have noticed is the lack of care for school. Yes, I know we will never use algebra in our everyday lives or annotate for a living, but these tasks are building us towards success. They teach us how to follow instructions and do things we normally would not want to do and I can guarantee you certain tasks you do when you’re an adult are not always going to be something you want to do. We use class time to text our “friends” and post filtered pictures on Instagram to make the time go by faster and make our GPA decline by the minute. Just the other day in one of my classes, two students, who had not even started the assignment that was given a week in advance, were discussing how they were not even going to do it. They would just pay someone to do it for them. We are juniors in high school, and I guarantee you that “technique” will not help you in college. Now, if you are on your merry way to working at McDonald’s or Waffle House, keep up the good work.

Being a teenager and pulling off that “too cool for school” image, including the nonexistent urge to do homework, normally involves bullying. Remember the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well, when your parents consistently told you that, it was a false statement. High school is full of harsh words just waiting to suffocate you, and just as you are about to take your final breath, it releases you. I have seen too many people take their lives over verbal harassment from high school students, it makes me sick just thinking about it. So that message you sent or that comment you screamed out in the hallway, it can affect someone harshly, and you do not want their blood on your hands.

Only two more years and I cannot wait till it is over. The freedom is long awaited, and I hope to obtain what Thomas Jefferson promised in the Declaration of Independence “…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”. The peer pressure, the lack of caring, and the consistent disrespect for others has become tiring to deal with. I cannot wait for the day the chains of adolescence are unlocked and I can be free.