As I glanced over at the river next to this trail I was biking on, I noticed the sun's light glistening the river near the bridge. Life was at a standstill: where would I go from here? Taken aback by the beauty of the scene, I was reminded of the fact that art-and by extension, life itself-only has meaning because I imbue it with meaning. Given the philosophy that I had embraced, I knew that I was alone and completely responsible for what I do with this life. Would I waste it being bored, or would I make something out of it while also remembering to enjoy the stellar entertainment of music, movies, and drawings? I was thrown into the universe naked, and I will not allow the adversities of life to keep myself down! No-I will use my hardships to my advantage, enjoy the diversions, learn from them, and become what I'm capable of becoming. As one Nietzsche had said many years ago, "What does not destroy me makes me stronger."
I grew up relatively poor, and I've never had many friends. I was not poor poor, but it seemed like everyone else in my school had more than I did. Despite this, I was always able to achieve excellent success in my academic life. However, stress and anxiety held frequent positions in my psyche. Eleventh grade hit me hard: many a nights I would just sit there in my room, lonely and depressed. I concerned myself with things I should not have cared about-fitting in, dating, not being a "loser"-when really, I should have comfortable with myself. My grades, while still pretty good, took a turn for the worse. Nevertheless, I still have not "given up" on my life. I love art. I love music. I love movies. I love books. They take me away from my life, and throw me into an alternate time or location, so I can observe how others take on the challenges that hurtle their way. They remind me that life is about making choices, and though at times I can be afflicted with the blues or slight laziness by laziness (which, admittedly, exists in me at bottom), I can rise above it and strive for success. Eleventh grade was over, and "there's still time to change the road you're on" as I climb Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."
When the sunset was over, I headed home, knowing the rest of my life was ahead of me. I have made it this far, and I will farther it by attending college because I enjoy unraveling new information and learning more about the universe and its many mysteries.
I grew up relatively poor, and I've never had many friends. I was not poor poor, but it seemed like everyone else in my school had more than I did. Despite this, I was always able to achieve excellent success in my academic life. However, stress and anxiety held frequent positions in my psyche. Eleventh grade hit me hard: many a nights I would just sit there in my room, lonely and depressed. I concerned myself with things I should not have cared about-fitting in, dating, not being a "loser"-when really, I should have comfortable with myself. My grades, while still pretty good, took a turn for the worse. Nevertheless, I still have not "given up" on my life. I love art. I love music. I love movies. I love books. They take me away from my life, and throw me into an alternate time or location, so I can observe how others take on the challenges that hurtle their way. They remind me that life is about making choices, and though at times I can be afflicted with the blues or slight laziness by laziness (which, admittedly, exists in me at bottom), I can rise above it and strive for success. Eleventh grade was over, and "there's still time to change the road you're on" as I climb Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."
When the sunset was over, I headed home, knowing the rest of my life was ahead of me. I have made it this far, and I will farther it by attending college because I enjoy unraveling new information and learning more about the universe and its many mysteries.
