All posts by jlang@nafcs.k12.in.us

Personalities persuaded by peer pressure

By Danielle Rehor
Acoustic Thoughts
I am sitting in class, surrounded by robots. Teens who look the same, act the same, talk the same, and treat others the same way. No, this is not the opening scene from the next science fiction movie. This, boys and girls, is real life.

When we are little, we are bombarded with ‘just be yourself’ and ‘I love you just the way you are.’ So we proudly march out to the bus on the first day of kindergarten with our Winnie the Pooh backpack and clothes that probably do not match. As we step into the elementary school, we see billions of kids milling around with their friends, and we think. ‘This is not what I signed up for. Where are my friends?’

Quickly, we learn to ‘adapt.’ We change to please people and make friends. I call this survival of the fittest. What our world categorizes as ‘succeeding’ is a multitude of ‘friends,’ a look similar to pop stars, and money. Maybe that is also what you categorize as success, but I believe there is more to it.

I have had many friends from middle and high school who have been taken and twisted by the grasps of society to become the ‘social norm.’ They believe they must conform to an idea of skin and bones, raccoon eyes, bleach-blond hair, and booty shorts to truly be ‘someone.’

But in reality, the someones are just that: someone. Not just anyone. People that I consider ‘not just anyone,’ or someones are those that go out and do something for themselves, be a first, do something different, and are not willing to conform to fit in. Those are the someones. They do not obsess over who is their friend and who is not. They do not concern themselves with seeming cool. They have the confidence to make their own decisions and be their own person.

My question to you is: how much of your personality is lost in trying to fit in?

We are born with certain quirks, some adorable, some not as much, but do we try to embrace these quirks or instead shrug them off? Personalities are to be embraced. They make us who we are. Our morals and personality are all we have of value. They are what we will be recognized and remembered for, not what brand of clothing we wore, or if we were up to date with trends. We have to remember what is going to stay with us for the rest of our days: what we do and what we say.

Someone who clearly has himself figured out is Apple figurehead Steve Jobs. This quote really embodies what we should strive to do. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

We are all different, but what we do with our peculiarities is up to each and every one of us. Are you going to stand out with courage or instead blend into the background, being just another ‘everyone else’? If you think rationally, we all fall short of being someone’s imitation.

We are best being ourselves. Not a carbon copy of anyone else.

Graphic By Summer Haynes

Boys’ tennis seeks 22nd consecutive conference win

By Eric Ordonez

As the leaves begin to fall down from the trees, the boys’ tennis team prepares for sectionals. They posted a 19-4 record as of Sept. 27 and did it with a unique team. Having only four seniors on the team, they were counted on to lead them to where they are now. Head coach Rick Miller said they are very talented and deep in different spots.

“Our goal this year is to win our 22nd. That is, our 22nd consecutive conference championship,” said Miller.

From the beginning of the pre-season, the goal for this team was to take home the conference win and extend the streak. It has been their motto ever since, and senior Jarret Oldham agrees.

“We’ve done really well this year, we’ve beat some pretty good teams. And we’re always trying to get better. But most importantly, we want to go deeper into the tournament,” said Oldham.

Junior Lucas Corley, a first year player, said he is excited to be on the team, and he is looking forward to sectionals.

“I’m looking forward to rolling through it like it’s a yellow light and you’re speeding through it,” said Corley.

The team began their sectional run on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Miller has them prepared to his liking and he said he believes they are playing their best tennis right now. He said he always wants to be playing the best tennis at the end of the year, because that is when it counts.