It seems as if we don’t know what life is about. Some of us rush through our lives making it all blend together and some of us just go through the motions. There have been periods in my life that I’ve been through both. I have recognized that we will do almost anything we have to but tend to forget our “wants.” I believe that when we are born there is a purpose to our life. Whether it is something as big as finding the cure to cancer or something as small as making someone’s day better, there is a reason that we are alive. If we are just going through the motions, how are we supposed to find what we were born to do? We waste our time doing only what we are told to do; by worrying about what we say and how it affects our reputation we miss opportunities.

As Thoreau said, “Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry. Men say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitches today to save nine tomorrow. As for work, we haven't any of any consequence. We have the Saint Vitus' dance, and cannot possibly keep our heads still.”  Relax, it’s not the end of the world if something inconvenient happens. Those extra things on the side that stress you out are not worthy of your time. We need to forget about the things that aren’t important. Like Thoreau says, “Simplify, simplify, simplify.” When you are thinking about someone or something else so in depth you forget about our outside world. For example, when you get a five page paper, that’s all you think about. You worry about getting an A, getting it done in time, and making sure it makes sense. You begin to forget about what you like doing and put what you need to do first. It is important to care about other things, like work or school, but make sure to make time for yourself too.

People are told what they should and shouldn't do. I catch myself watching traffic outside my kitchen window and I think to myself how many people are just going through motions, not knowing where they want to go but knowing where they have to. What if the world could stop and we got to do anything? Would you go see different cultures or would you stay in bed all day and watch a TV series you've been wanting to watch but had no time? Albert Einstein says, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” We are going through the motions doing exactly what we are told, like we are traffic, going only when it is okay to, slowing down, and then stopping when the light turns red. We can't go too fast or too slow. When we don’t follow those rules we get a consequence and are punished for doing what we believe is right.

When we talk about our feelings or something we believe in we are put into a category, interesting or boring and that will determine if they will listen or not. If I am not as important as some of my peers my opinions are irrelevant, so we change our story to something a little more interesting or something everyone will agree with to get more views or likes. The good thing about Thoreau is that he didn't care and today we have people like Miley Cyrus “swinging naked” on wrecking balls. Miley Cyrus just wanted to be heard and she felt that she needed to take off her clothes and do something crazy. In doing that she has been branded as a delinquent, or someone you should no longer listen to because of her actions. We need to forget about others pasts and remember everyone is different. Don’t let someone's past determine whether you listen to them or not.

What makes a “delinquent” bad? They are doing what they want to! Thoreau would be proud of the ones that don’t care about their reputation and do what they like instead of doing things other people like. Although in the society today they are different and that is what makes “delinquent” bad. Society is telling us we are wrong and when we don't do enough for the world we are not good enough. For example, when you are trying to get into college you want to do extra things, maybe NHS or key club but you try and the clubs only accept certain people. You are unworthy of getting the education you wanted because you aren’t good enough. But little do they know you tried as hard as you could have! Why are we compared by numbers? My GPA doesn’t show you how hard I work, it shows you how well I was taught. We live in a judgmental world and there is nothing we can do about it other than not care. I do believe there is a higher power, and I do believe we have a certain path that is leading us to a fulfilling future but we need put ourselves out there and not blend in, so when the college of your dreams doesn’t accept you, make a plan B.

With moving to Stewartville I thought I had to mold myself into someone who someone that fit in. When I moved, there was a different surroundings and people that judged me. I had to learn something new, I had to change from someone that everyone accepted to someone everyone knew nothing about. I should’ve taken the opportunity to find who I wanted to be instead of trying to fit in with the “cool kids.” As Thoreau said, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” I should’ve worked on finding who I was and friends that were like me rather than changing myself to be different and finding friends I had nothing in common with. Said by Albert Einstein, “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

“So if your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?” Said by almost every mother that thinks you are doing something stupid, and learning from those “mediocre minds.” It is a classical representation of falling into the peer pressure or giving into what other people want you to do. Like Thoreau says, “Society never advances”. So why are you changing yourself to become like it? Thoreau says, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” We need to think outside of the box or color outside the lines. Don’t listen to others, maybe break the rules a little bit, just be you.