Rewriting my story by Saysha

Rewriting my story by Saysha - June 2022 Scholarship Essay

Everyone wants to be the hero. That rare individual who rises to the top, perseveres through difficulty, and is celebrated in the end. Time and time again, books constantly glorify the classic hero, the perfect story, and the ideal life. However, if you have spent enough time living on this earth, you may have noticed that the classic happily ever after is rarely how most stories end. In the book, Loki Agent Of Asgard, a character most famously known as a villain, struggles to erase his wrongdoings from history and discover who he is. While his journey may not be a smooth ride to victory, I can glean from his shortcomings and learn several critical life lessons.

Haunted by the shadows of his past, Loki made a deal with the Mothers of All to eradicate all of his villainous acts from the record. During this, Loki found himself running away from who was, and the man he didn't want to become. However, no matter how far he ran or what he did, he could never escape his predetermined destiny. From this section, I am reminded, that merely running away from people's expectations of you doesn't make them go away and can perhaps inflate the problem. Letting individuals define who you are and who you become is a recipe for disaster. Consequently, I can learn from this and take ownership of my own destiny.

Thankfully, Loki comes to this same conclusion as well. In the climax of the story, Loki comes face to face with the man he is trying the avoid, an evil version of himself. This alternator version of himself taunts and reminds him that he can never change no matter how hard he tries. He also tells him that he will always be looked down upon, and be cast away by his friends and family. In the heat of the moment, he was given a choice. A choice to choose the path of evil or to die. However, through the counsel of a friend, he realized that he did not have to mold himself into the box before him. "I am my own, and will not sit long in any box built for me” -Loki. Right then and there, Loki chose to finally accept himself and write his own story. He was no longer under the power of what people thought of him and was free of the boundless hell of self-hatred.

As valiant as a person may appear, the virus of self-hatred is crippling and self-destructive. From my own experience, I've found that self-hatred eats away at your confidence and poisons you from the inside out. Nonetheless, from this story, I've learned this giant can be defeated. The root of self-hatred lies in not being able to accept yourself. Depending on the person, self-acceptance may be a long process. Through numerous hurdles and life experiences, I have concluded that I don't need to be the hero, nor do I need to always have a happily ever after. I can accept who I am and rewrite my own story without fear of offending the people around me.