By Annalise Shupe
I have recently realized that a person cannot obtain coldness, they simply have the absence of heat. Very similar to light; a room doesn’t have darkness, it has the absence of light. This made me think of love and hate… maybe hate doesn’t exist, but it’s merely the absence of love in our lives.
It is no secret that it seems easier to blame life’s problems on outside forces, including other people. Most people would agree that when a person feels above others it makes themselves feel better as well. Well, this simply is not true. In fact, this very mindset makes life much more difficult. So what’s the fix? I undoubtedly believe the fix is love and happiness.
Everyone attempts to attain happiness within their lifetime. Being happy means to feel or show pleasure and contentment. I want to focus specifically on contentment. Hatred is generally derived from discontentment. Furthermore, discontentment is gleaned from the absence of love. Think about it, if someone is not content with an aspect of their life it is most likely because they have not found something to love about that aspect of their life.
The best way to excel in life is to love. The easiest way for a person to love their life and what surrounds it is by first loving themselves. Self-love is a key component to a happy, healthy life. Self-love is also one of the most challenging things to acquire in a lifetime. For me, my self-love comes from loving others. The more I find positive and beautiful characteristics in those around me, the easier it becomes to find positive and beautiful characteristics within myself.
What things can you think of that you find beautiful? Look around you, analyze your surroundings. What do you see? What do you love? What do you hate? Now take everything you hate and find a positive in it, if this challenges you find something you can do to change what you hate. Ask yourself, is the situation or object fixable? Either way, put forth some effort to change your mindset or fix the problem.
This process may seem extremely difficult, and it may be at first, but the more a person practices this new outlook on life the easier it will become. As the weeks go by positive thinking and problem solving will become a natural part of a routine. A new, more relaxed and loving individual will begin to emerge from the shell that use to confine them; similar to a phoenix. The negative parts burn away during this process, letting a new, better human emerge from the flames.
Seldom do better days and healthy habits magically appear in someone’s life. A person must work towards bettering themselves and their surroundings. When effort is put forth in various aspects of life, rewards will follow and a better person will most likely transpire. I think society as a whole wishes to better themselves and doesn’t want to surround themselves with the negativity that is sewn into our daily lives. A loving mindset is a way to fight back.
I encourage everyone to embrace the positivity and love that surrounds them and let it settle in their soul. I also encourage everyone to let love radiate. Find simple things in life to love and cherish. At the end of the day, the mundane things are what give us contentment. Don’t let the absence of love be the cause of your discontentment.
Annalise Shupe is a student at Fillmore Central High School. She is one of seven area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 19th year.
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