Coreyartus
Explorer
Hey, bud, be careful.
The hardest part for you is going to be knowing when to pick your battles. There is a huge difference between standing up for yourself and letting your pride get the best of you. A mature person knows how to keep their zeal in check, and just let ignorance be. Remember that high school is important, but it's just a small part of your life--don't let it be more than it is. Emotions run strong in high school. Sometimes being cool headed is the best thing to do. Don't let their intolerance get the best of you, instead take the higher ground when you can. Small-minded people deserve small amounts of attention. Your mere presence will be a living example of how backward their thinking is, and sometimes that's enough. No one likes to be called ignorant to their face, and provoking unnecessary tension can sometimes result in making it harder for yourself, not for them. Know when to exercise your pride, and use it wisely. Diversity is meant to be celebrated; be smart enough to know when it's appropriate. A single strong soul can change the world, but not instantly, and certainly not in the face of thousands of years of religious doctrine. Stupid is as stupid does. Don't succumb to your fellow students' stupidity.
That said, those in the RPG community at the other end of the links provided above understand where you're coming from, and can sometimes lend an ear if appropriate. The "Gayming Community" is larger than you might think, and straight-but-not-narrow people abound. Never underestimate the power of experience.
One final word of advice: don't fall into the trap of believing that the romantic ideal of what high school "should be" applies to you. Hundreds of lives have been wasted lamenting the way things "should be". The American Dream is not a guarantee--the only guarantee is it's possiblity of fruition. Sometimes, it just doesn't happen. Sometimes life isn't what you're going to want it to be or what you think it should be. How you deal with that is how you will develop character and maturity. What you do with the life you've got is what will seperate you from the crowd, your peers, your predecessors, and your society.
Make it a good one.
--Coreyartus
The hardest part for you is going to be knowing when to pick your battles. There is a huge difference between standing up for yourself and letting your pride get the best of you. A mature person knows how to keep their zeal in check, and just let ignorance be. Remember that high school is important, but it's just a small part of your life--don't let it be more than it is. Emotions run strong in high school. Sometimes being cool headed is the best thing to do. Don't let their intolerance get the best of you, instead take the higher ground when you can. Small-minded people deserve small amounts of attention. Your mere presence will be a living example of how backward their thinking is, and sometimes that's enough. No one likes to be called ignorant to their face, and provoking unnecessary tension can sometimes result in making it harder for yourself, not for them. Know when to exercise your pride, and use it wisely. Diversity is meant to be celebrated; be smart enough to know when it's appropriate. A single strong soul can change the world, but not instantly, and certainly not in the face of thousands of years of religious doctrine. Stupid is as stupid does. Don't succumb to your fellow students' stupidity.
That said, those in the RPG community at the other end of the links provided above understand where you're coming from, and can sometimes lend an ear if appropriate. The "Gayming Community" is larger than you might think, and straight-but-not-narrow people abound. Never underestimate the power of experience.
One final word of advice: don't fall into the trap of believing that the romantic ideal of what high school "should be" applies to you. Hundreds of lives have been wasted lamenting the way things "should be". The American Dream is not a guarantee--the only guarantee is it's possiblity of fruition. Sometimes, it just doesn't happen. Sometimes life isn't what you're going to want it to be or what you think it should be. How you deal with that is how you will develop character and maturity. What you do with the life you've got is what will seperate you from the crowd, your peers, your predecessors, and your society.
Make it a good one.
--Coreyartus
