The Power of Positivism by Natalie

The Power of Positivism by Natalie - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my time at San Marcos High School, I have experienced both the good and the bad that highschool has to offer. But one thing has always stuck out to me plainly, the negativity and depression that settles over our school like a storm cloud waiting to strike. Us teenagers are in a hard spot, we are being demanded to figure out what we want to do for the rest of our lives, before most of us are even filing our own taxes, or even know how to for the matter. In response to this there are drugs, rebellion, fights, and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness that surrounds the school on a daily basis- enough to drive any sane person mad.
This year, however, I have made it my personal mission to make a positive, lasting change in my peers lives, starting with two simple things; positivity and kindness. In this day and age, it’s simply easy to look towards the multitude of problems that the world faces, instead of remaining optimistic for the future. So this academic school year, I have vowed, as Gandhi once said, to be the change I want to see in the world. And this is by no means a “big” task, but daunting nevertheless. To meet each and every day with a smile, to treat each and every person I see with a bout of affection, even on the days where I don’t feel much like doing anything of that sort at all. And I’d like to think that doing the simple things, like smiling at a passerby, or aiding a stranger, is making a difference.
Once the thought came over me, in those time-travel movies they are so terrified of going back in time, doing something small, and changing the course of history. However, it doesn’t seem like anyone of today feels like something small that they do will change the future. In my mind, everything that we do matters, whether big or small, right or wrong. So, I believe that even the little task of putting on a “happy face” will hopefully change at least someone’s day for the better. And even if only one person is helped by it, it will have all been worth it.
In conclusion, there are a lot of good things about being in highschool, some people refer to it as the best years of their life. But in this changing time, highschoolers of today are facing a battleground of hopelessness and depression every day that we trudge into the school building. So smile, and be kind to everybody that you meet, because as trivial as it may sound, the world could use a bit more positivity right now.