Growing up, my grandpa always told us that life is a circle, teaching us its symbolic representation in birth, survival and death and exhorting us to always do good to others.
But the question of social class always popped up in my mind because there was always someone who seemed to have something better and I felt unlucky.
My friends always seemed to have the best clothes. Later, I was taught that values were more important but it was different once the pressure came in and I felt I was missing out on life.
Being around people who keep bragging about their social class and what they own is never easy. Motivational speakers say “be yourself “ but, with time, you will learn it’s easier said than done.
You have to fight with your emotions and the unrelenting urge to emulate what other people are doing. As a young person, I found it hard to stand for what I believed.
The worst experience, however, was how adults and peers judged the decisions of young people facing such challenges. I would compare life to a game of chess because it is very easy to watch from the sidelines and judge and who loses or wins.
Looking at someone else’s life from the side, you can easily judge the “silly decisions” made, but you would easily have a different view if you walked in their shoes. Whatever life might throw at you, it’s a choice to take it positively or negatively.
A common mistake we all do is looking at other people’s lives and thinking they are luckier. What many young people forget is that no one is posting their failures. It’s like there's an unwritten rule on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp that there's no room for failure.
They will only show the world a smiling face. Karma is part of the circle of life so always let your destiny to guide your path. Smile each day and get new energy when the world shuts its doors.
Faith Bosire, 20, is a student.
Are you aged 10-20 and would like to be Nation’s young reporter? Email your 400-600-word article to [email protected]
