I’ll be the first to admit it, that I grew up a bit sheltered. My parents worked from home, so there were always people coming in and out. I was referred to as more of a little adult. I guess that due to that I lacked social skills, or had them of an older person, I can’t quite figure out which is true.
Anyway, I just never really fit in, I was always an out of the box thinker, and had to do the opposite of what everyone else did. Because of that, I was picked on quite a bit all through school, to the point that I didn’t really want to go most days. That’s not the point of this though, this isn’t a sob story. Its more or less my observations of society as one coming into it.
I started liking at things through my adult viewpoint recently, I guess I’ve been able to do that a bit more clearly as of recently. Its interesting to look at the situation from an external viewpoint now.
Going into high school, I still didn’t quite fit in, but that was totally fine with me, I was happy with living in my own little world. I observed the kids at school, I went to a private school, and I noticed that they were “Best Friends,” but were awfully tough on each other. Being a sheltered kid, inches from being homeschooled, this did not make sense to me.
Around my junior year, I finally settled in with a group of friends that I would have well into my 20’s. They were ok guys, they were there when you needed them, and I guess of modern friendship that seems to be about all you can ask. I started to notice something. My friends were treating me like the ones I observed in school, some of the harshest jokes I can imagine. The funny thing about that, is that I went into agreement with it, strangely enough.
It just seems odd, that each line was delivered like their was a studio audio laugh track waiting to play; everything felt so rehearsed.
Looking back on it now, we grew apart a bit, and it happens over time, its just the nature of life. I look at the people I surround myself with now, and they’re super positive and inspiring, they push others to be the best they could be. However, coming from that view point I held previously, it would have made me angry and we would have ridiculed that positive person.
I think this is a microcosm of society, and the changes that it has seen in the last 100 years or so. Its not to say that there were not always negative viewpoints such as I described, but they were less prevalent. If you look at social interactions as a whole, there are many “Friends” brutally treating their “friends.” I just can’t seem to figure out what causes it, but one thing I can say, is when you observe it you become responsible for changing it.
Many of us turn a blind eye, and decide that its not out problem. I’m not a huge proponent of the whole anti-bullying campaigns that are going on recently, because I think kids need to be tough to a point. But the chord I do think they are striking is the treatment that is occurring; why does society think it is ok to tear others down in the guise of friendship?
I hope this was food for thought.