Here's to Social Equality.
Believe in your decisions.
Around this time last year, I was in a VERY different place to where I am now. I’ve made a lot of decisions that will hopefully shape the rest of my life and help me contribute to this world being a better place to live. Saying this though, the past year has NOT BEEN EASY.
There are so many things I could ramble on about but I’m going to restrain my brain (Drop a rhyme) and focus on one thing.
SOCIAL CULTURE IN AUSTRALIA.
Being a 22 year old male living in Sydney’s Inner west I feel equipped to comment on such a thing, as would anyone my age I imagine. We have all been to those parties, encountered those people and experienced those situations that made us reflect on our own behaviour and situations.
[Insert rant here]
SO. I made a conscious decision a while ago to live my life without crap. This included crap food, crap places, crap people and just generally crap things. The backlash I have received (and still receive) socially is phenomenal. Never would I have thought people would reject my life choices as much as they have, as I mention this I should say there is a huge amount of people that support my choice too….but a good rant needs a bit of negativity doesn’t it?
I was at a party recently. I said goodbye to everyone at 2:30am. Fair enough…right?
WRONG.
The impact my decision seemed to have on people I had just met that night was astounding. I was met with “DON’T LEAVE,” “You’re not tired,” “You can’t go home,” and the best one of all when I stated that I was tired… “ummmm how old are you.” Like age dictates when you should and shouldn’t feel the wrath of our bodies natural sleep cycle. I can’t help but think “WHAT DO YOU CARE?” Honestly, how does my decision to go home effect your life at all?
IT DOESN’T
This is one example of a thousand realities when it comes to social confrontation. I feel like by making a decision that seems to be ‘different,’ people feel that they have to bring you back to their reality, whatever that may be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way saying that one person’s life choices are CORRECT or INCORRECT, not at all. Everyone can live their life as they choose…what I don’t understand is this.
If someone says “I’m going to McDonald’s”….regardless of how I feel about that, I would say “cool, cya later.” On the flip side every time I say that I don’t want the steak sandwich or I’m going to a raw organic café I’m slammed with: “just eat a burger” or some demeaning comment about being a health nut. Excuse me for caring.
The same goes for alcohol. If someone said to me “I’m going to get blackout drunk tonight and sleep all day tomorrow,” I can think what I want but I would never throw “ALCOHOLIC” back at them would I? TRY TELLING SOMEONE YOU DON’T DRINK. The backlash…gah. “Why don’t you drink?” “how boring to be sober” etc….Are you shitting me? No one can say a word about someone’s socially acceptable but damaging choices (bad food and binge drinking) but everyone seems to have the right to bag the self-focused health choices all they want. Its bullshit. How does it affect them at all? I keep wanting to say “what do you care?”
One last recall. An old friend of mine…not to be named….lives a very different life to me. Drugs, partying, alcohol, full time job, money…Opposite to me basically. This person once said to me, and I quote: “I feel like we are such different people now, you’re all into yourself and being healthy and all that whereas I just want to have fun while I’m young (smoking and drinking)” I have never bit my tongue SO HARD to not explode at that comment. Sadly in A LOT of people’s eyes those are the two choices. Drink, smoke, drugs, eat crap and therefore have fun OR be healthy. Yeh no. Sorry. If I wasn’t having fun why would I do it? My priorities changed. I LOVE that I can be out of bed and running on Saturday morning at 6am WITHOUT even a whiff of coffee and no hangover. So leave it alone. I feel like people want to make these choices but don’t, therefore anyone who does is a confronting vision and it’s dealt with by confrontation and demeaning comments. Again, if I made comments against people making unhealthy choices id be slammed for it. I just want to do what I want to do, be the best that I can and live as long as possible. That not too much to ask!
I could go on forever in person about this. The plus side that I would like to mention is this:
We live for ourselves and we live for others. What good are we to others if we can’t even take care of ourselves? If you want to make a choice that strays from the social norm you are going to be faced with masses of conflict. If you believe in your choice though, it acts like a filter to your life. You end up being surrounded by people who respect you, love you and are genuinely happy to be around you because those who don’t support or understand….we grow apart. We only have one life, do what makes you happy….whatever that is & RESPECT other people’s choices. Oh and a small piece of advice. Don’t ever announce or proclaim. If you tell your friends you don’t drink or don’t eat this or that…if one day you decide you want to….you’ll be slammed. If you just stop they won’t even notice and if they do it will be received much better. It’s some weird thing going on where as soon as it’s announced it becomes a label on your forehead and how dare you stray from the rule you made for yourself. Hmm.
Here’s to social equality.
[Rant over]