Auld Lang Syne

I started the beginning of this year with an idea I saw on Pinterest. It was pretty simple, you get a jar of some type, usually a mason jar, then you write favorite memories on slips of paper and keep them in the jar until well now. I was looking through the slips for inspiration for this blog, because I've been stuck on an idea for this the ENTIRE break. On the slips I looked for adjectives that were used to describe me, and I compiled a list

• Adorable (Thanks Emily Perdue)
• Fantastic Public Speaking skills (thank you GAB)
• I should go into politics (GAB again)
• Passionate
• Knowledgeable
• Intelligent
• Awesome
• A Junior (Special thanks to Hank Byerly for that)
• Sweet
• A hero (Melissa Huff is the sweetest)
• Intimidating (Surprising, right?)
• Funny
• Smiley
• A Leader
• Good with Kids
• Luke Spano's buddy (countless Grad parties running into the Spanos)

I honestly wont count the memories in the jar, as I read the slips of paper I reminisce on my year and how much I've grown since I was a freshman, sixth grader, first grader, and preschooler. As I was reading the article that this entry is supposed to be based on I found on the last page "We can come to understand that our feelings are not necessarily perceptions of the truth--they may be nothing more than the result of cultural conditioning." I was a quiet, super sensitive, shy, child who loved to believe in fairy tales and magic. I liked playing by myself, and working by myself, which is frowned upon in preschool. As society changes from every man for himself, to "Let's all work together constantly through social networking and the internet," the introverts, and the children and people who work best on their own are being pushed aside as outcasts. Perhaps as time goes on, and the prejudice against LGBTQ and African Americans fades away and becomes a social norm, whose to say that introverts won't be next? Introverts and extroverts are essentially groups that everyone belongs to regardless of religion, race, gender, or sexual orientation. The only thing that is really feared in the prejudice of these groups is the change and differences. I watched a TED Talk on the power of introverts by Susan Cain she explained how she went to camp one summer with a suitcase full of books. A girl in her cabin thought it was weird that she was reading, and then her counselor even said your at camp to *spell out some word that I now forget wrong.* These occurrences started happening throughout Susan's life and then she learned the mantra "Fake it 'til  you make it." Now that statement blew me out of the water because I realized that I was doing it. I was faking the above list of qualities until I made myself into that person. My sensitive nature is what fuels my passions, I am smiley because I like seeing others succeed and be confident with themselves and their abilities, which makes me a leader. I'm still shy, yet I can get in front of complete strangers and talk about something I am passionate about. I can make people I have never met laugh and be impressed with my so called "stardom" and my confidence. As Susan Cain did, I did to. I faked it until I made it where I wanted to go.
A movie came out around Thanksgiving called Frozen. It is yet another Disney princess movie, which I absolutely love. Elsa is a girl with a gift, that must be hidden away, yet once she gets away from the pressures of society she can let loose, and realize that her powers are a gift and not something to be feared. She Let it Go, and honestly that was truly the moment that I realized I was no longer little Sarah Graff, but instead I am Sarah Graff, Drum Major, Student Director, GAB Girl, and 18 year old girl. In some cultures this is frowned upon, yet in the one I live in, it is almost unheard of in the media. Women and girls everywhere are facing stigmas of not being good enough, or not pretty enough, or not thin enough, or heaven forbid, dumb enough. Girls who comfortable in their own skin are only being praised in Disney movies it seems. In twenty movie trailers on IMDB, three had women or girls either in the title, or on the first scene of the trailer. One only has the girl as the love interest who may or may not be evil, the other is Divergent, which I must read, and the last one "The Other Woman." Our society is focused on freedom of speech yet persecuting those who state their opinions, and lauding those who parade around semi-naked. Yet no one is really praising those girls like Malala who only reached the news after she was shot. The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, where we are too focused pointing out differences to see how alike we really are. We are all living in our own versions of absurd theater like in Waiting for Godot. Sometimes we think society and the media are totally crazy, yet we still never leave like Vladimir and Estragon.
Our society is a strange one with a very long future of change ahead.
And that is my reflection on the year and on myself. So Happy New Years and may 2014 be ever in your favor!