MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 4 December) – This is for the ones who are having a hard time. Don’t worry, you’ll make it. Nothing worth having comes easy. Life is tough, but so are you. Just hang in there. You are capable. Maybe what you need is just a little push, and then you’ll get there.
To the ones who get bullied, stay strong. Maybe you have something that they don’t. Others will do anything to bring you down. Don’t let them. Stay true to yourself and prove them wrong. You are beautiful, smart and charming in your own way.
To the ones who do self-harm, please stop. You’re better than that. You don’t deserve to be cut. You don’t deserve to bleed. You can listen to music at full volume, scream at the top of your lungs, and tear pages from your notebook. But please don’t do self-harm.
To the ones who did self-harm but stopped, I am proud of you. May you be an inspiration to others who are still doing self-harm. May your scars be a reminder to yourself, and a symbol for everyone that you are strong, brave, and we are all capable of moving on if we just try really hard.
To the ones who want to commit suicide, you deserve to live. Suicide is not the answer. If you think that you are useless, unloved, good-for-nothing, hated, unwanted, then you are wrong. Unknowingly, you have contributed so much good in this world. For example, breathing out Carbon Dioxide for plants. We are all meant to do something. Maybe you just haven’t found yours yet. You’re probably overwhelmed by society’s criticisms and standards. Even if you are part of it, don’t let society dictate you. Be your own person, and don’t commit suicide.
To the ones who shed tears at night, it gets better. Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see life in a clearer view again. To the ones who have lost faith in themselves, enjoy life. Not everyday is a good day, but live anyway. There’s so much more you’ve yet to do. We’ve all had a fair share of self-doubt. Believe in yourself and keep going.
To the ones who are dreaming, carry on. Let your dreams take flight. Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big. Take chances, take a lot of them. Failures are inevitable, but do it anyway. Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb wasn’t an overnight success. Bill Gates dropped out of college, but look at what he is now.
You’ve got to love yourself. Maybe you’ve spent too much time looking at the beauty of others that you have failed to see your own. You’ve got to stop taking everything personally. You’ve got to stop letting yourself get upset about things that won’t matter a year or two from now. If you can’t be a poet, be the poem.
This is for the ones who are heartbroken, who are hurt, and who have fears and doubts. This is for the wounded, the scarred, and the shaken. This is for the discouraged, the suffering, and the lost. This is for the ones who feel out of place. This is for everyone. You have mass and you occupy space. You matter.
Sometimes you just have to remind yourself that it will all be okay. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but one day. Say it enough that one day you’ll actually believe it. Remind yourself that things have changed; they changed for a reason, people change for a reason. You just have to let go and move on. It’s going to be hard and you’re going to feel lonely sometimes but just hold on, because who is to say that tomorrow won’t be the best day of your life?
(Alexandria M. Mordeno, 14, is a third year science curriculum student at Bukidnon National High School in Malaybalay City.)