Life

I grew up in a household built on religious beliefs and values. A prayer before every meal, church every Sunday, sex is bad, drugs are bad, gay people are going to hell, etc. So I never even thought I could be gay. And then when I started to get better emotionally and began to be myself for once in my life, I started to notice feelings I had for friends of the same sex. At first I tried to tell myself it was only conditional and it didn’t apply to all girls, but the better I got, the more I was able to look into my past and see times where I should have seen that I was gay. So I slowly began to come out of the closet. At first I came out to friends of mine that I knew wouldn’t judge and they helped me grow as a person and realize that being gay was just a part of me and I shouldn’t try to hide it even though it is considered “wrong” in this society. So I tried coming out to one of my family members to test the waters. But I chickened out and went with the words, “might be” and “we will probably never have the chance to find out.” And wouldn’t you know it, a few days later I went on my first date with a girl I really liked. And I knew that night sitting in the movie theater holding this girl’s hand, that I really am gay. Well this girl soon became my girlfriend and even though I’m still not used to being openly gay, I show her off to the world. It’s still difficult for me to talk to some people about having a girlfriend, but the fact of the matter is I’m truly happy and I’m not going to sacrifice that in order to make the people who don’t agree with my decision happy.

Now, not to get into too many topics at once, but I swear this ties in. I don’t believe in organized religion because it is socially constructed. I do, however, believe in a God. And I believe that God created us all and that he knows our every thought, desire, dream, and future. So my question for you is why would He have created me to be gay if He is against homosexuality? Some people say that being gay is a choice but I wonder when you decided to be straight! Did you wake up one morning and say, I think I want to be straight? Why would anyone choose to be gay in a society that is completely against it? In my opinion, everybody falls in love with their true love regardless of sex. And I want to ask you to imagine for a second that roles are reversed. What if we lived in a world where being gay was the norm and heterosexuality was ostracized? Would you still want to be with the person you have already fallen in love with? I have brought this question up to several of my straight friends and they have all said they would still choose to be with the person they are with right now regardless of the consequences. So don’t homosexuals deserve the chance to be happy as well?

So for those of you trying to discover your sexuality, don’t do what society says is right, do what your heart is telling you.  People will either accept you, or eventually get over it. And those who don’t, well are their opinions really worth it? Never be scared to be who you are for fear of being made fun of because at the end of your life, your happiness is what really matters.

“Am I beautiful?”

He glanced up from his book to see her standing in the doorway, the sun shining in from behind and transfiguring her hair into a golden halo. He paused in a moment of thought then slowly laid aside his distractions, rising to meet her. She filled his vision with warmth, like the sun rising over the snowcapped mountains of a dreamer. She was the reason he lived. Standing so that his face almost touched hers he asked his own question in reply. “What is beauty?”

He placed a gentle hand on her cheek and said softly, “Is beauty determination? For gazing into your eyes I see a determination to survive and not only to survive but to prosper and succeed.”

He reached down and took both of her hands into his own, kissing the tips of her fingers. “Is beauty compassion? Never in my life have I seen hands so dedicated to people, and to love. Hands that willingly deny their own suffering to ease the suffering of others. And what of tenderness? Is that beauty? For there are none other hands I would turn to in the cold hours of the night than these.”

He traced the curve of her shoulder with an experienced finger. “And what about strength? Is beauty strength? These weary shoulders have borne far more than they deserve yet they remain straight, high and proud.”

He leaned over and pressed his lips against the softness of her neck, breathing in her sweet fragrance. “Oh and brilliance? What of it? Is it beauty? I know none that could surpass the cool discernment of this mind.”

He rubbed his thumb lightly over her cheek and said quietly, “What about tears and sweat, blood, sobs, brokenness, cuts, walls and silences? Are they beauty? Because a face like this could never be all that it is without knowing the horror of sorrow and pain.”

He lightly brushed his lips against hers, whispering, “Is beauty love? Because I love you, every inch of you.”

He drew her into his warm embrace and whispered in her ear, “You are beauty. You are not merely beautiful, you are beauty itself.”

Made a wrong turn, once or twice

Dug my way out, blood and fire

Bad decisions, that’s alright

Welcome to my silly life

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood

Miss, no way it’s all good, it didn’t slow me down

Mistaken, always second guessing

Underestimated, look, I’m still around

Pretty, pretty please, don’t you ever, ever feel

Like you’re less than, less than perfect

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel

Like you’re nothing you are perfect to me

You’re so mean when you talk

About yourself, you are wrong

Change the voices in your head

Make them like you instead

So complicated, look how big you’ll make it

Filled with so much hatred, such a tired game

It’s enough, I’ve done all I can think of

Chased down all my demons, see you do the same

Pretty, pretty please, don’t you ever, ever feel

Like you’re less than, less than perfect

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel

Like you’re nothing, you are perfect to me

The whole world stares while I swallow the fear

The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer

So cool in lying and we tried, tried, tried

But we try too hard, it’s a waste of my time

Done looking for the critics ‘cause they’re everywhere

They don’t like my genes, they don’t get my hair

Strange ourselves and we do it all the time

Why do we do that? Why do I do that? Why do I do that?

Ooh, pretty, pretty, pretty

Pretty, pretty please, don’t you ever, ever feel

Like you’re less than, less than perfect

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel

Like you’re nothing, you are perfect to me

You are perfect to me

You’re perfect, you’re perfect to me

Pretty, pretty please if you ever, ever feel

Like you’re less than, less than perfect

Pretty, pretty please if you ever, ever feel

Like you’re nothing, you are perfect to me

I have decided to analyze the song “Fuckin’ Perfect” by Pink because it is a song that many can identify with. In the first stanza, we take away that we have all made mistakes, some more than others, some stupider than others, some with more reprimands than others. Point is, everybody can look back on a point in their life and say that there are mistakes they have made. But you have to forgive yourself for them and work through the tough spots in life. Holding on to the mistakes you have made will not make them go away or fix the problem.

The second stanza addresses that life is not all glamour and you will not always be treated well by the people you meet. Pretty much… Life sucks!!! But letting the people who push you down and laugh at your misfortune take away your smile and your happiness is only letting them win. I know from personal experience that life can hand you a lot of shit that you don’t deserve. But whether or not you believe in a God, He is only going to deal you problems He knows you can handle. Besides, all the “bad things” in your past happened for a reason. They led you to where you are today.

The chorus suggests that you are perfect. I don’t believe in perfection in reference to a person. But I do believe that you are the only person in the entire world that can be you as perfectly as you are. This is why you should always be yourself. There is only one of you and you are unique and special and you bring something incredible into the world. There is no one in this world with your smile, your laugh, your determination, your beauty! And I know that if you weren’t here, there are many people who would be missing that smile, laughter, determination, and beauty.

I have found that the worst critiques are ourselves. We are all so worried about what other people think of us that we fuss over how we think we should look, act, talk, etc. But the fact of the matter is, everybody else is too concerned with how others view them to worry about critiquing you. I tried something last year to help build my self-confidence and I suggest that you try this as well. Every day I came up with a positive-affirmation – something I liked about myself. Some days it was physical, and others it was about my personality. And I would write kind words to myself on my mirror so that every day when I looked at myself, I saw all these compliments surrounding my body.

In the fifth stanza I feel like Pink is trying to say that the world is filled with a lot of hatred but she has learned how to overcome the pain that has resulted from it. And she believes that everyone else can do the same thing. Hatred in this world comes from everywhere these days. Kids are bullied in school for being “different.” The LGBT population is ostracized for not being the way society has deemed as “normal” and “right.” Blacks are stereotyped as are Mexicans and Asians. People of different cultures, such as Muslims, are grouped into one big stereotype revolving around the 9/11 attacks. People all over the world experience some sort of hatred almost every day of their lives and it gets really hard to overcome but working through the struggles will show how strong you really are.

The seventh and eighth stanzas are all about how we are so afraid of what others will think of us when really we should stop hiding our true selves from the world for fear of being put down and finally enjoy being us! It’s a waste of time to put so much effort into being someone you’re not. I mean think about it, you have to basically create a whole new identity and put on an act for the world every single day. It’s exhausting and nobody should have to go through that! You can’t hide the real you from everyone because one day someone will see through the mask and really, we shouldn’t let them get away with criticizing the incredible people we are.

This song delivers an incredible uplifting message that so many people miss because of the great music that goes along with it. I hope when you read this you understand that you really are a very special person and you are perfect just the way you are. So don’t change yourself for anyone!!!

Everyday people live their lives. Some take it for granted, some live it to the fullest, some come to the end of it, some are just brought into it. Point is, life happens all around you every day. So start living yours so that when tomorrow comes, you don’t regret the things you didn’t do. Don’t be afraid to try something new, or do something crazy! To reach out to someone with an open mind and heart, or tell your friends and family you love them! Don’t be afraid to show how you are really feeling! If you’re sad, cry; if you’re happy, laugh; if you’re lonely, find someone to talk to, I guarantee someone cares. And if you can’t think of anyone who cares, I DO!!!