12/15/14

Stay vocal, Stay Kind, Stay True.

It has been awhile hasn't it? For the past month and a half I have told myself multiple times: "Olivia, you need to update your blog," & every time I stared at a blank page for thirty minutes before closing the tab because I could not bring myself to figure out something to write.

I don't want to keep doing that though, because where will I go if I am constantly pushing away what needs to be done?


I figured why not take this post to share with you pictures I have taken over the past couple of months, & really just write about anything on my mind. Why not be as honest as I can, because after months of scrambled words taking comfort in a nook in my brain, I have finally found the time & motivation to spill them out through my keyboard. This is not a fashion post, or a DIY post, or a baking post (and i have really only done 1 of the 3 i had planned to do; oopsies), but instead just a post about life & words. My life has been a whirlwind of thoughts and ideas, I have been changing my outlooks and refining what certain things mean to me as a person. These past couple of months I have really explored who i am, what I want to do & ultimately, I want to make a change in any way I possibly can.

There are so many different ways to get involved in the world, and I figured that the easiest starting point is through online petitions or websites that make it so easy to help. There are sites where all you have to do is click a button and you sent a pound of rice to a family in need, or a click to save an animal that has been put on the list to be euthanized, or a signature to make sure that your city requires police to wear body cameras while on duty. A note on a website that will help a habitat from being destroyed, and a picture that helps support a movement set out for social change in rape & assault culture. The simplest of things, yet they can make such a huge difference. They may not seem like something huge, but they make a difference and at least a start to the idea of changing what matters most to you.

I have noticed that a lot of people want to ignore issues that are prominent in our culture today, and it deeply saddens me when I try to discuss serious issues only to be shot down or ignored, made fun of or attacked...it happens more often than I can even count. As somebody who wants to be active in making a change, I urge everybody to stay vocal about their opinions, ideas, & what they want because without your voice, what you are wanting to change will be losing one more person that will make a difference. Never be ashamed to be fighting for what is right, and what you believe in.

If anybody really knows me, they know that I am very big on working towards women's equality as well as stopping women on women hate. If there is anything that really & truly upsets me, it is a young girl showing blatant hate towards another young girl because of a multitude of reasons--the ones most common always stem from a man issuing the hate (whether they know it or not). "I hate her because he likes her" is probably the most upsetting phrase I have ever heard, because you should not let a man really run your life so much that you are missing out on how wonderful of a woman that girl may be. This idea is so romanticized--in films, music, writing--and it should not because why? Why in the world do we want to support the idea that we--as women--should hate on one another in order to relate to what is shown in film and pop culture? It is terrible to think of, this idea of women on women hate, and I have seen it more and more through media pitting two successful women against one another when there is never actually a problem there. I admire the women that stand up for other women, and do not deal with the hatred that they are thrown into. Feminism is about woman empowerment, love, & equality--Why would any woman not want to be part of such a movement?

Today I sat on my bed and found myself reading over something I had wrote about a year and a half ago now. It stands as the basis of my entire being, and how I want to be perceived. I want to meet others and share with them these ideals until I am blue in the face, because change is possible and I do not want anybody to believe that they cannot change what they think purely because they have already had a certain outlook all their life. Change is allowed, change is accepted, and change is what makes us become better people. It is not that poetic, or creative, and it does not have the most beautiful syntax, but it something that I am proud of writing because it stands for me as a person. "Loving unconditionally is something that I want to always do in my life. I don't care about the trivial and shallow aspects of somebody, or what they hide in the depths of their heart. All I want is to love, and that’s all. Really and truly love people with everything I can give. Even if the world is full of darkness sometimes, and wants to bring me and others down. I want nothing more than to love, because that will at least spread the light."

Kindness is also an idea that seems to have dwindled greatly in the past couple of years, and it actually puzzles me when people prefer humor or creativity over kindness when it comes to many situations. On countless occasions I have heard others say "I will do anything it takes to get to where I want to be, and if that means I have to step on toes and burn bridges, then so be it," and the fact that this mentality is actually what people aspire to follow truly means that we live in a world where people believe that kindness cannot get you anywhere. As a girl who wants to make it big in industries that take a lot of passion and drive (fashion and acting), I have decided that I want to make it to the top but on my own accord and not through a skewed version of how you can succeed. It is possible to succeed while remaining kind, compassionate, and true to yourself. Imagine how much more satisfying it will be to know you have not hurt anybody while still pushing yourself as hard as possible to be where you want to be. Imagine having friendships and people that love and look up to you because you have remained kind whilst still reaching your dreams. Why would you ever want to spread hate, when you can spread kindness instead? That is what I want.

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