Don't scream! Don't go to the playground! Don't play with toys! No! No! No!

Choose an issue of importance to you-the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope-and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.

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I used to color the walls of my house as a toddler. I can't count the number of times my mother would have to buy new paint for the living room. However, I don't recall her ever imposing her beliefs on me - she always allowed me to explore my creative side, even if it was at the expense of a new satin finish every other month. Upon entering grade school, listening to the creativity in me became a little more difficult. I needed recognition to speak, permission to perform the most basic human needs, and was denied the opportunity of experimenting with objects that blossomed by curiosity. "Don't scream. Don't go to the playground. Don't play with toys. No. No. No." However, my mother always encouraged me to express myself in any possible form. Today at seventeen, I am capable of deviating from the degrading voices around me and can listen to a much stronger one: my own.

If I had thirty seconds to speak to the entire human population, I would say one thing: think for yourself. We consider great those who have been able to break the walls of conventional thinking. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Plato, Leonardo Da Vinci, even Hitler - they all envisioned a society that surpassed the current paradigm, forever changing the world as they knew it. These individuals have one thing in common: their independent thought differed from that of those around them. They did not need approval from others to execute their actions. They did not speak of what was expected of them, but rather proclaimed their most profound desires. Their thirst for knowledge, innovation, domination and inquiry make them some of the most recognized individuals in history. Today we turn to Emerson for inspiration on self-reliance and individuality, to Da Vinci for innovation and creativity, to Plato for insight and inquiry, and Hitler for his monstrous and abhorrent being. Their essence is distinguished centuries later because of the imprint they left on the phase of the planet, one that loudly screams their name.

Although people share similar characteristics, each person chooses to develop his or her own formula. This is individuality. It was the enlightened Emerson that stated "to believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men - that is genius." A person's essence is as vital as air, as critical as water. It embodies his or her most profound thoughts, transcending someone's true core persona into the lives of others. To be an independent thinker and act as one is to create a small ripple that with time reaches even the most cryptic corners of our world. By looking into the self for solutions rather than allowing foreign answers to define you, knowledge beyond research is achieved. Our generation has become a sunken ship of dependence, slowly but surely growing oblivious to its own voice. Google has become the almighty source of knowledge, calculators are necessary for basic calculations and arguments are based on opinions we have been trained to believe in. A man is merely as valuable as his thoughts, yet what value do his thoughts have if he follows those of others? By living within the walls of a confined destiny, one prevents himself from stumbling upon the most enlightening discoveries. It is the greatest faux pas of them all to believe one cannot fulfill his soul's desire because of he has been told not to. Too many times due to our fears and insecurities, we tend to tame down our voices simply because they are our own. However, what happens when self-imposed boundaries are demolished? A fulfillment that brings harmony to the human race is achieved. A new generation of thinkers and leaders will be created. With independent thought revolutions could be started, transforming and shaping the future of our world. I have learned that through independence and expression of the self, I have the power in me to fulfill my utmost desires. I create my own reality. I deviate from generic and boring routines and engage in a much more fascinating, unknown experience. The magnificence of mental freedom is the acknowledgement that there are no possible boundaries within our realm. By becoming independent thinkers, a new breed of leaders is created.