By Sam Reeves, Online News Editor/Webmaster/Social Media Director
Americans be warned, the zombie apocalypse is upon us, and you have been exposed to the mind-numbing virus already.
Now, I’m not talking about the zombies you see on shows like “The Walking Dead.” Those flesh consuming monsters don’t really exist. But there is such a thing as a ‘zombie.’
In this day and age, teenagers are faced with many issues, one of those issues being the immense stress/pressure that is put on us in our high school years. From the moment we set foot into these brick and mortar buildings, we are told we need to discover our purpose and make something out of ourselves before we die.
These expectations are drilled into our minds, making sure we don’t forget what is expected of us. When so much is constantly expected out of us, and when we are filled with fear of dying before meeting our supposed ‘purpose,’ or fear of never actually finding a purpose for ourselves, we teenagers typically tend to shut down. Our minds grow callous and numb, motivation for anything gone.
The problem with teenagers getting into these ‘funks’ is that we lose our self awareness: we just do whatever we can to fill the cold, empty void we feel inside. We forget about our impact on others, and desperately try to sink our claws into anything nearby, consuming until we feel a fire in our hearts again.
However, this method of ‘healing’ does not work. It’s an escape mechanism that’s wrapped up in a pretty little bow and labeled as self care.
In today’s society, it is perfectly normal for people to encourage you to forget others and to focus on yourself. And while this can be a good thing in small doses, losing total self awareness is not acceptable or healthy.
We have been conditioned to live in a cushy environment, one where we are not required to address the issues that make us feel negatively or scare us. Humans are naturally born with selfish intent, but the stigma that we must be in a 100 percent safe and tagged environment is making our selfish desires run rampant.
Instead of relying on these safe spaces, we must start to meet these pressures head on and examine what we can do to alleviate them or work towards accomplishing the goals they provide.
“An unexamined life is not a life worth living,” said Socrates, esteemed philosopher of ancient history.
What this quote means is that we must constantly examine what our levels of awareness and humanity are. If we do not take the time to examine what we can work on, we lose what makes us human. We transform into monsters whose only thought is to consume and cause damage.
We must give life to obtain life; in other words, sacrifice is required in this life. We must be willing to put in the work and passion if we expect anything to get better or change.
So while you may have already been exposed to this zombie virus, just know that this one is curable, and take comfort in the fact that life will get better as long as you keep fighting.