Tolerance needed...apply within

by Cody Guillory

Ever wonder if the clothes you wear and the things you do are done because you want to, or is it because you are scared of the opinions from that group of individuals commonly called judgmental people.

What constitutes a judgmental person? A judgmental person, for the sake of this argument, is one who is inclined to make personal and moral judgments on others with prejudice.

In life, you're self-being and self-value are constantly being tested. Rumors are started and expanded throughout social clicks.

The challenge for those who walk off the beaten path is, to be true to one's self.

However, with the callous behavior that we, as adolescents witness everyday around us, it is a challenge to maintain a consistent behavior that varies from the norm.

Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson went as far as to say,” For nonconformity...the world whips you with its displeasure.”

Emerson's suggestion to their aversion is to “know how to estimate a sour face.”

But a sour face is usually the least degree of scrutiny that can be handed out by adolescents. The verbal assaults on and behind people's back have a way of causing deep pain or anxiety for teenagers.

Sometimes that displeasure will unearth itself in front of the prejudice person or persons, but usually it will rest in the heart, mind, and soul of the particular individual.

Sometimes, this form of pressure that comes as a result of what people think of you may barely cross the mind, but there are those times when you're alone and what people are thinking about you is all you can hear.

Logically, the displeasure that resides can fester into negative shapes and can transcend into negative behavior.

We, as a society, really need to slow the progression of this rabid disease that appears in virtually all walks of life.

If shock value is what we need, tragedies like Columbine High School should serve as a beacon for those who need clarity; but the reality of the situation is that we as people are really good at forgetting some things.

Things that should really encourage people to have a little more tolerance, be a little more accepting, and a lot less judgmental..