The Small Things

<p>Some people are jerks. Some people walk up to me, ignore me, and ask the two people sitting next to me to sign their yearbook. Some people "like" every birthday message they get on Facebook while ignoring mine. Some people ignore you in the hallway unless you are the only person in the hallway with them, and then they might say a perfunctory greeting. Some people only talk to you to get homework assignments. Some people take and do not even say so much as a "thank you" for the elaborate essay outlines you shared with the class. Some people promise to repay you, and ask you what flavor cookies you like, only to end up never giving you cookies. Some people sit in front of you in class for two years and never say more than 2 words to you, no matter how nice you are to them; they're already made their assumptions about you, and refuse to change them, instead choosing to firewall you. I'm not even trying to be your boyfriend. Can we just talk to each other every once in a while? I'd like to verify that I at least exist to you, OK? </p>

<p>Perhaps the saddest part is that the people I describe above are the most successful people - the ones with the most friends, the best grades, the most leadership positions, the athletics, the extracurriculars, the science fair awards, the history fair awards, the you-name-it. But I know that I'm no one. I can be disenfranchised without harm.</p>

<p>Yeah, people mistreat me. Fortunately, I can reciprocate :). And fortunately, there's always that silver lining; I have many more things to be proud or happy about than bitter about. The bigoted and the mean-spirited will keep being bigoted and mean-spirited, but I refuse to be tied down by old grudges. I vent via writing, and I eventually get over it.</p>

<p>/searches for a ‘Like’ button.</p>

<p>surprises let me know she cares</p>

<p>aww. </p>

<p>well, you are a good kid. really, really. but i’m not sure other people being less decent human beings - less decent then yourself - is why you don’t get the love that other kids get.</p>

<p>maybe if you were like them and got plenty of love you wouldn’t reciprocate to someone like yourself. like, the reason why you care so much about being someone who reciprocates is because people didn’t reciprocate to you. but if they did, maybe you wouldn’t feel so strongly about it.</p>

<p>my explanation for your condition would be that you just suffer from some social anxiety mixed with some other things. whatever the case, it is clear you have a good heart and good intentions. your experiences have affected you just like other people’s experiences have affected them. you may be particularly aware of certain things, but I definitely don’t think you are exceptionally kind or noble or anything … lots of people are very compassionate. </p>

<p>i liked your post a lot too btw :).</p>

<p>I can relate to about half of that, only those people are definitely not the most successful people, as that would make me mad for some reason.</p>

<p>post of the year. seriously.</p>

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<p>D’awww … you guys are the best <3. Small things like these - just little compliments - make all the difference!! </p>

<p>For all those out there who feel like me sometimes, just remember, some people are jerks, and often for no fault of your own. Don’t allow them to overpower your life, to control your happiness. Transcend them, and move on to better things. Don’t get tied down. Smile a bit. Laugh with others. Give the occasional compliment. Make someone’s day. I’ve been following through on the aforementioned, and I really feel happier - happier than I’ve ever really been :).</p>

<p>If it helps any, IceQube, you seem like a nice and thoughtful person and if you went to my school, I would try to talk to you, and we’d probably even be friends.
And not just you, I think I’d try to talk to other people on cc if I actually knew them. Honestly, some people on this website seem like people I’d want to get to know/be friends with partly because you all seem like you guys could keep up an interesting conversation without swearing, or being overly sarcastic to the point of rudeness. </p>

<p>but yeah… ignore humans if they’re mean… but some people are definitely worth getting to know. you just gotta find those.</p>

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<p>I despise swearing. Once a person starts dropping some heavily profanity-laced language, my perception changes (for the worse). It is unfortunate that even some of my teachers are using profanity (if only for comic effect, and not to disparage anyone). Do your teachers use profanity when lecturing?</p>

<p>I don’t hate swearing, but it’s always discouraging to find out that somebody can’t make a clear statement without having their diction cluttered with swears. My teachers don’t use any swears, besides for my English teacher, but he’s sort of an exception because nobody ever knows what he talks about in class… He just kind of rambles. Do your teachers use swears? It’s mostly my classmates/acquaintances that use vulgar terms, which is a bit disappointing.</p>

<p><em>aplauso</em> </p>

<p>On the swearing part–</p>

<p>I don’t swear. I can have a conservation with someone without the need to drop bombs every other word. I feel that the people that do that have a limited vocabulary. I don’t mind swearing when needed like an occasional bleep here and there. Heck! If someone is seriously tripping for no apparent reason, I’ll mutter ‘This, b…’ under my breath but you won’t hear me cussing anyone out. That reminded me of another thing. I don’t like when people swear in arguments just to swear. At least try to sound smart when you’re trying to degrade someone.</p>

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<p>I agree. I remember how I treated this one person in gym class as an outsider because he was sort of an outsider. Turns out, he’s a really great guy, and we had a great year in gym together (we talked and he never made fun of my basketball “skills” :)). I certainly have some growth to undergo myself. </p>

<p>Looking back, that gym class was exceptional. One person who had previously treated me as an outsider treated me exceptionally well. He’d volunteer to sit out and let me join in on basketball when there were too many players for 5 on 5 b-ball. He’d never blame me for missing a basket or just being generally incompetent. He’d cheer me on when I made a shot. He is the kind of person I admire. I don’t mind if you may have ignored me in the past, slighted me in the past, etc. - who you are now is what matters; my perceptions are malleable, and growth is commendable. </p>

<p>I wish I could tell him all this, but it would probably sound cheesy …</p>

<p>I’m not one for posting, but I had to for this.
Ice, I really think you are one fine individual. You said what you felt and that’s usually the hardest for anyone. People tend to hold it all in and then lash out, but even when you vented you never said anything truly negative. I hope that you find the courage to tell the guy in your gym how much of an impact he had on you and if not, then it’s perfectly acceptable. You seem like an extremely nice person, so I think that anyone who treats you less than you’re worth(which appears to be a lot) is not worth your time. I hope you don’t feel like this again, because no one deserves to feel like their two feet tall, ever.</p>

<p>Thank you Dan for your thoughtful post. I agree - venting online is a much better alternative than venting on other people, such as family members, which I am, unfortunately, guilty of on occasion. </p>

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<p>I hope so too :).</p>

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<p>I enjoy making new friends, but I’m not the kind of outgoing person who makes new friends every hour. I too have a similar reputation - I think :). I wonder if “aloof” and “smart” must be mutually inclusive. Hopefully I can break out that mold.</p>

<p>Successful in high school doesn’t necessarily equal success in life.
Don’t worry about the hindrances in your life; focus on your goal while everyone else focuses on being pretty/popular/etc. Then you’ll be way ahead of everyone else. :)</p>

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<p>Success in high school is an indicator of future success. I see HS as a sheltered microcosm of the real world. In life, there are often no means of recourse, as there is in HS. There are guidance counselors in HS. There are grade recovery plans in HS. In life, there is often no rule dictating how other people should deal with you on a personal basis. In school, however, teachers aren’t allowed to disparage you. Bullying from other students is also disallowed. So if one cannot even succeed in the sheltered microcosm of HS, how can she succeed in life? </p>

<p>This is not to say that it is impossible for an unsuccessful HS student to find success after HS.</p>