Activism

A few months ago, in March, I went downtown to watch Ringling Circus. I had noticed a group of people holding signs. They had many different sayings written on them in reference to the circus' animals and where they were to be kept after the circus went out of business. 

This wasn't an overwhelming protest. There were three or four people standing on street corners almost silently holding their signs. They didn't block cars from entering the parking lot or scream at the families walking into the arena. They were there to share their message and they wanted nothing more than that.

Their message came across for me. I still think about it now, months after the fact. It resonates with me how different humans and animals are and what right we had to take advantage of that.
 I spent the entirety of the show thinking about how these animals were being treated. When the tigers would disobey the tamer, I would think "do they not respect him because he abuses them?". I thought about the exotic animals that were stuck in cages traveling the country rather than roaming free halfway across the world. I thought of the horses and how much happier they would be in a pasture. The protesters affected how I saw the entire show. Rather than leaving with joy and excitement, I felt guilty for giving my money to such a toxic environment for these animals.

I believe in a general sense of animals rights. I supported animals being treated correctly, but allowed someone else to figure out what needed to be done and how that should be achieved. I now want to be better informed on these issues. I want to be a bigger part of the world and understand what is happening around me.

I have researched the state of zoos around the world and become better informed about the issues surrounding wild animals in captivity. It matters to me how they are being treated and what kind of environment they are being placed in. These animals have dealt with abuse and neglect for decades for the purpose of human entertainment and only now are they being granted freedom.

Positive Feedback

This week I was accepted into a program in Poughkeepsie, New York. It will provide me with a travel scholarship for me to visit Vassar College. In a whirlwind of college applications, it is nice to get an acceptance to something. It is a nice confidence boost when you are constantly trying to put your best self forward. Trying to convince a complete stranger that you are worthy of a spot in their institution. When it feels like the odds are against are never in your favor, it is nice to be told you are good enough.
This is something that I will never be able to experience without this opportunity. It is a preview of what I will be a part of in just a few months. A sneak peak of college life. I will be able to live in the dorms and sit in on whichever classes I choose. I will meet potential classmates and learn what it is like to be on my own. I have a few out of state colleges that I am considering and they are not close. I feel this will be a way of knowing if I am truly ready to be so far from home.
My mom thinks that I am not ready to leave the nest. She is afraid to see me go off on my own. She has not been supportive of my pushing and is constantly pushing back. I am the first to leave and I am beyond ready to get out; to fly and be free. She sees me as smaller than I am, or maybe she just thinks I'm escaping.
I think I am ready to be out on my own. I know very little about the world and my scope is small, but I feel ready. Maybe it will be terrifying; I will count the hours until I go home. Hopefully, I will never want to come back. I will start waiting for the next time I leave. I will be ready to go see more of the world and I will be excited to venture out again.

Renaissance Festival

Last weekend I went to the Renaissance Festival in Waynesville, Ohio. It is essentially a nerd's paradise, which is why my friends were drawn to it. They were more than excited to be able to see the jousting and costumes. I had less interest, but I enjoy adventures.
We drove the hour and a half to the middle of nowhere. The first thing you see when getting off the highway is a corn field that stretches the last 5 minutes of the drive. At the very last second, an open field is all you can see aside from a castle in the distance. You park in the very back of the field with only other cars to mark spaces. It feels private and exclusive. People come to this place for this reason and that is all. Without this event, this place is empty and alone, but for this one month, this tiny town explodes. There is traffic getting in and coming home, there are people everywhere. Some even have luggage piled into their little car as they travelled all this way.
The ticket gate is a castle with giant walkways and a balcony where the "royal family" stays and greets the crowd. Inside, everyone is in character. Guests and cast alike speak differently and wear accurate dresses and armour. Some wear elven costumes and there was a John Snow look alike walking around; a guest that received more attention than the cast. Everyone was here to express themselves in the most exaggerated ways. They were allowed to explore their interests in a way that everyday society would not accept. They were free and everyone was happy and excited.
My favorite part of the night was receiving my "dragon egg". A geode that was guaranteed to contain crystals.  I chose the smallest one and was allowed to hold my geode while it was split in half. It was sparkling white and had layers of crystals growing over each other. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It made the night incredibly special.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy the renaissance festival, but it was definitely a worthwhile experience.

Positivity

There is not enough positivity in the world.
I say this from a very small piece of the world. I have a little town that I venture out of only rarely. My view is limited, but from 17 years of experience, there is so little positive to grab hold of. There are so many people angry at their situation and they let that bleed out into other people's situations. They leave rude remarks behind them, put themselves before everyone and allow the world to bend around them. People see themselves and they forget that everyone else is navigating the same thing. There are so many times where people choose to add to the negativity that plagues this society.
I want to be part of the percent of the people that make this world a better place. I don't necessarily want to change the world by creating a cure for cancer or winning a Nobel prize, though it would be nice to accomplish those things. I prefer the idea of changing the world one good deed at a time. Spreading a little bit of positivity throughout my lifetime is what I live for. It deeply upsets me when I see someone with the worst attitude walking around and spreading their hate to those around them. It is disappointing watching people react to little situations, like bumping into each other in the hall way, with anger and hate. I've witnessed people become violent in these situations.
It's heartbreaking that this is what our society consists of. Reacting like this to these situations is not met with rejection, but is instead almost expected. We as a society need to change our interactions with each other. It should not be difficult to navigate through the day without making someone angry, and yet we are all so eager to flip our top.
I want to make people happy. I want to make a positive impact in the world. There is so much anger and evil in the world that sometimes a simple "how are you doing" is enough to change someone's day. It's worth it to be the change in the world.