The reading today allowed me to step into the shoes of people who have experienced a very different upbringing than I did myself. Many things I was able to relate to very well. Including a lot of things Judith Cofer wrote about herself. I was laughed at because my name was funny, I was picked last in sports up until junior high and I wore thick glasses in elementary school. Everybody is different in one way or another. I had the “appropriate” skin color for where I lived, but I did not have the “appropriate” athletic ability, eyesight or family given name that it seemed everyone else had at that time. Come to think of it, I wasn’t really good at anything… I think that these experiences are important because they shape who we are. I only occasionally wear glasses today, I have an athletic build and people tell me that my name is cool and unique. That’s not how it used to be… Because of this, I am more sensitive to people who are picked on for their “unfortunate” differences.
I used to work at an elementary school. During gym time, I always divided the kids into teams myself. The older kids were picked last. It would be easier for those 5-12 year olds to just take care of it themselves, but I don’t want to make anybody feel bad about being last. This may or may not be a good thing, because by doing so I don’t give any of those kids the chance to become more like me. The kids who aren’t athletic just go on their way and jump around the gym, oblivious to the rules of the games. Who’s to tell them they are doing it wrong if they’re having fun? I have realized that by trying to create an environment of bliss for the next generation, we are not allowing children to have the important life shaping experiences we had as children. When I look back at my childhood, I see experiences that I was able to learn from at a young age. When I was cut from my 8th grade basketball team, I didn’t take it too hard, because it was something I was used to. But when I finally got on the team my sophomore year, I was ecstatic.
I do not mean to say that anyone who has had a rough upbringing is having a huge favor done for them, because they’re not. I am saying that the things we learn through our experiences shape us and give us invaluable knowledge to pass on to younger generations within our sphere of influence.
I really like how you talked about how those experiences that you had a hard time with taught you things that you value now. I really think that is something that is important to remember. I believe difficulty is something we must learn to deal with, and how can we if everything is peachy all the time. Now I'm not trying to justify bullies or racial profiling...but I suppose I'm saying it is unrealistic to try and get rid of it. As the saying goes, kids will be kids, and sometimes kids are selfish and thoughtless. Grown ups are too. I think the most important thing is to take what positive things we can from those experiences and move on and we may be surprised with how much we value what we learned instead of letting it poison us. Great comment Casen!
ReplyDelete