Part V (7 April)

In a world that presses individuality, I get sideways looks because I don't shop at the GAP or Old Navy, and thus don't look like everyone else. I wear my hair slightly different than everyone else. My glasses are different as well. I get bad marks because I write differently, word thing differently, than the other students in my classes, and the prof has to actually think about my assignments. I guess they don't like that. People think I'm weird because I think. I take my time to answer a question, or make a statement. But they're problem is, I'm wasting their time by taking my time. Make sense to anyone? It doesn't to me. "Be different, because different is good." Right. We're supposed to be different by shopping at the same places, wearing the same clothes, eating the same foods, listening to the same music, reading the same books. Sorry, but I don't buy that. I don't buy into having other people think for me. I'd rather live on the outskirts of civilization than become one of the mindless sheep in the center of it. I'll write what I feel, not what I'm told. If I happen to be the only dude hanging out with a bunch of girls, don't assume that I'm with one, or that I'm gay. Maybe they're just better company than you are. I like getting both sides of the argument, even if I don't like the side I'm against. I'm weird because I listen more than I talk, and I write more than I speak. So? "Don't love in spite of differences; instead, love BECAUSE of differences." But it that might be hard for some people, because they are so in love with themselves. I have a heart for people; to some, that just makes me a freak, because I care about what happens elsewhere, outside of the city, the country, and the continent. Then there are those who join org's like Amnesty just so they can put it on their resume. I pity those people, because what if the truth comes out? Then they're revealed to be the frauds they really are. But I guess in this society, it's better to *look* like you have substance, than to actually bother *having* it. Me, I'll stick with my integrity, my honor, my morals and principles. Because they're what make me who I am. I'll continue listening more than talking, thinking more than doing, because if I don't, I'm afraid there'll be no one left who will.