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So I have been given the news that I'm sure a lot of you have already heard about the recent suicide of a young girl from O'Neill High school. First off I just want to send my thoughts and well wishes to the family, her close friends, and the people who had the chance to know her well (unfortunately I am not one of those people) but I still wish nothing but the best for the healing process and the tough road on the way to move past this extremely traumatic event. With that being said, I feel as though I need to elaborate on what is happening to the teens and young adults in our society today. I know being a teenager and young adult is extremely difficult, not only do I fall in that category of age and experience, but so do almost all of my friends. This age range is a very difficult one because it prepares us for the lives we will lead forever and onward. With that, it is really hard to hear the news of a teen death, because this isn't just a hard time of your life, it's the beginning of it. High school is the time to gain friends and experiences that shape you, like I've already stated, but by no means is a description of what you will be forever. It is a simple stepping stone into the real world, and your real life. After high school ends, you are no longer 'the popular kid', 'the jock', 'the nerd', 'the loser', 'the bully', 'the weird kid', or any other label, you are simply an adult INDIVIDUAL who can be whatever you choose to be. In university, or a job, or sitting at home, or any other life choice you choose to make after those 4 years, no one cares about what you were anymore. No one looks at you and sees your past anymore, they simply look at you as another person in a sea of thousands of people. You no longer sit in a class of 10-50 people, but rather learn alongside hundreds of people to shape your future in your own way, with not nearly the amount of judgment, criticism, or drama that high school brought. Your choices inside and outside of your school or job are no longer looked at like a stigma or judgment. Many of you reading this may be in high school right now, and may be thinking about all those people who look at you like there is something wrong with you, something wrong with the way you look, act, dress, or any other assumptions, but that doesn't mean they are the ones who decide what you are. Everyone is their own person, and everyone has the right and the decision to do what they want to do, and feel how they want to feel. We've all been guilty of making poor criticism, and judgment upon people, I am one of them. I'm not going to hide behind my keyboard and act like I have never done anything I just mentioned as negative. Because I have. Most of us have. In this day and age social media, and the use of technology to communicate and show off who you are has hurt us in many ways. Facebook, Instagram, Ask.fm, or any other social media app or site that opens people up and makes them a target for bullying has been a big cause in the depression, pain, and sadness of so many people, and may have even been the factor of the taking of one's one life. The number of likes, friends, or followers doesn't define you, nor does the amount of people who gawk at your photo, or roll their eyes at it, but everyone seems to think that's the case. Once again, even I am guilty for caring about useless things like that. Whatever it is that has you depressed, hurt, sad, devastated, or on the fence about whether or not you should physically harm yourself, can be made better. There is help everywhere, whether it be professional, family orientated, close friends, or people who have been in your situation before, but no matter what there is help. Always. Never feel the need to take your own life because of emotional pain caused by people trying to beat you down, because by doing that, they win. This is not your whole life. This is just a few years that prepare you mentally and emotionally for the best parts of your life. It does get better, no matter who you are, how you feel, or why you feel that way, it does get better. Tough times are only temporary, even though day after day it feels like it will never get better, it will. I know my words will never change the world, change the hearts of many, or even touch many people, but if it helps just one person to rethink their decision to hurt themselves or others, it is worth it. No one should ever have to feel the need to take their own life, no matter what the circumstances are. This is a world of diversity, and everyone should live differently but act in a uniform way to create love and peace for everyone around them. Stay strong and treat everyone the way you would want to be treated, it's been overused so much, but it truly is the Golden Rule in life. High school is the beginning. What comes after is what's worth living for, because everyone deserves a chance at love and happiness, and a long, happy, and healthy life. Feel free to share, and pass this on to the people you know, because you never know who is struggling and who needs to hear this. Stay strong.