WORDS THAT RIPPLE LIKE A STONE by Kristine

WORDS THAT RIPPLE LIKE A STONE by Kristine - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

It was only a joke, a small snub, a forgotten date, an angry text, or an unanswered call. By themselves they are small everyday acts that all teens might do without any real thought, but to the receiver of the snub or the text, there might be a much larger impact. Single acts are rarely that, a single event in one’s life. More likely it is part of a compliment of behaviors, words, and emotions that one feels, and thus a single event can have a profound impact when evaluated in the totality of one’s life.

In Jay Asher’s iconic novel, Thirteen Reasons Why, young people learn that bullying can take a much more subtle form, one that is not comprised of repeated text messages, constant harassment of one person by another person or small group. Rather bullying and feelings of desperation can arise from an unrelated series of events that shape a person and their outlook on the world and themselves. There can be a simple catalyst event, perhaps something so simple and innocuous, as voting someone “class clown” or “best ass.” Of course once that is out in the open, the person is forever altered, as are the ones that voted and created the list.

Had I not been voted class Vice President in my freshman year, I would never have been open to ridicule for not having enough school spirit. It seems silly to even write it, but it happened, and it took on a life of its own. I was called out online as the class officer who did not have enough school spirit because I did not spend as much time as many others tweeting the results of the football games. It changed the lunch room, changed alliances, altered party invitation, and changed the tenor of my entire freshman year. One silly event started it all. Like Hannah, my world was forever changed because of one single event that rippled. In my case it was a tweet that seemed to grow in strength and reach as it was retweeted and favorited. Oh, it was only joke, I would hear. Little did my classmates know I was fighting my own battle and had a tumor removed just two weeks prior. I certainly had other things to think about, but after that tweet, I was consumed. I was angry, I was hurt, and then I was ashamed of my response, and mad at myself for even caring.

As I gained perspective, I thought of Jay Asher’s book. I vowed, that unlike Hannah, I would not be defeated by others ideas about me. I would rise above and walk away. There were certainly times that I thought about what my “friends” might say if I left them a series of tapes and I was no longer there. Deep down, I knew they would regret their choices and their words, as would I. I took a deep breath and continued to go to school everyday, fought my battles with myself, my peers and my health, but I came out stronger. When one friend asked me why I was so upset, I told them to read this book and think about the unintended consequences, to try and imagine that their actions and words might be hurtful, might not be perceived as a joke, and that perhaps there was more to a person’s story than anyone really knows. Yes, a single event can act as pebble dropped in pool, with ripples that reach far and wide.

Thirteen Reasons Why. Why we might be hurt by a comment, why we might feel angry when we are deserted, why we hope our best friends don’t turn away even if we are not able to reach out, and why we desperately want it all to be just right, but we also have thirteen reasons why we need to go on living, laughing, caring, and trying to make it right.