The Courage to be Yourself!

I chanced upon a lovely read, titled, The Courage to Be Yourself, edited by Al Desetta, a book that celebrates true stories from 26 young minds, teens to be specific, on how they all faced peer pressure, teasing, bullying, exclusion, or just feeling “different” from everyone else.

Giving a peek from the delightful Introduction to the book, for y’all, and then, me thought of suggesting a story for you to read, by Dwan Carter, which was such a huge inspiration to me, and a must-read for us all!

Just excerpts from the Introduction –

Nadishia gets harassed because she doesn’t wear the latest designer clothes. Rana, who is Arab American, becomes the target of hate after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Cassandra’s friends make fun of her for sitting with kids from other races in the school cafeteria. Yen gets teased for being Chinese, Jeremiah for being gay, and Jamel for not wanting to smoke marijuana. One anonymous teen is so afraid of being ridiculed for liking musicals that he keeps his tastes a secret. All these writers ask themselves tough questions: Why does everyone have such a problem with me? How come people can’t accept me for who I am? Is it okay to be different? Should I change myself to fit in?

This book, The Courage to Be Yourself is about the conflicts that teens go through when they get labeled and judged because they seem different. Differences can be threatening. Most people trust what they’re familiar with and fear the unfamiliar.

Labels are hard to avoid. You make statements by the friends you choose, where you sit at lunch, where you hang out, the clothes you wear, the music you listen to, the way you talk, and even the way you walk. At the same time, people make assumptions about you because of things you don’t choose or have control over, such as your race, physical appearance, where you live, or your sexual orientation. People are quick to judge by using labels because, in a sense, what else do they have to go by? We’re all limited by our own points of view and the groups we belong to—our families, neighborhoods, schools, and cultural backgrounds.

It’s okay, and even important, to belong to a group, because groups help people feel secure. But it’s important not to let groups define individuals. When race or dress or sexual orientation—or another label—is all you know about an individual, that individual becomes less of a person. And that can lead to conflict.

The underlying message is that, one way teens can solve conflicts with each other is by understanding and respecting the differences among themselves. And part of that process involves understanding and respecting yourself.

The teens in this book have used conflict to become stronger, better people, and you can too.

The choices and changes they made weren’t easy—their stories don’t always end happily, with all difficulties solved. Some writers lose friends who mean a lot to them, others continue to be teased and harassed, and many continue to struggle with difficult emotions.

As Jonathan Lear says, "To be human is necessarily to be a vulnerable risk-taker; to be a courageous human is to be good at it. That is, a courageous person has the psychological resources to face the risks with dignity and to make good judgments in the light of them." (Radical Hope, 123). 

How trueeey! 

But that is exactly also the value of The Courage to Be Yourself.