Go Ask Alice

It's been a long time since we've spoken. This is going to come as a surprise, I'm sure. You probably haven't thought of me for years for all I know. I do have some specific memories of you in junior high that have been eating away at me for some time. Do you remember Pride Time in 8th grade? I used to sit at a table with you and Jack. On many occasions he would ask me if I'd go to the dance with him to his own amusement and others sitting around us. You sat by him the entire time and never acknowledged his behavior except for once. You said sorry to me after the bell rang and left. To my knowledge, you never said anything to him about it--at least in my presence.

I don't think violent video games or heavy metal or rap music are the cause behind suicides and school shootings. The real problem is people that bully others, like Jack, and people that watch in silence, like you. Before you start making excuses for his behavior or yours, just stop. I don't want an apology for your behavior or his, or anything like that. It happened in eighth grade and I am mature enough to realize that empty words would never help me. I just think it's wrong that so many people never fully understand the devastation that bullying causes. I could have been this kid who committed suicide because of bullying. You sat by and watched this happen for how long and said nothing, just like Germans watching the Jews being taken to extermination camps and looking the other way. You might say I’m exaggerating, but the comparison is there. I was the innocent victim, persecuted for being different from the norm. Pride Time was my Auschwitz.

I’m not writing this to make you feel bad. Honestly, you probably should. I hope in the future, Alice, you take the chance to stand up for the defenseless and what is just. You call yourself a Christian; I only ask that you be one in action, not only in name.

Dreamers should move to New York

A friend of mine recently told me that "The only way to screw up is to go against your gut or to just do nothing." It's probably some of the best advice I've ever received. I've always lived my life with others' expectations in mind. The problem with this is that it's my life.

I think my biggest fear has been failure. Who will I disappoint if I choose the wrong path? Myself? My parents? Others? I now realize that those years spent moving down a path are not wasted.

Maybe I'll graduate in December, maybe I won't. All I can do is try and hope for the best.