What It Is To Truly Be
Cool
Every kid growing up
hopes to be the popular kid in school, and every adult hopes to hold
that same title within society as time goes on. They want everyone to
look up to them, having people wish they could be their friends, pray
that they get a chance to hang out with them, or at the very least,
have that person acknowledge their existence. Over the years, popular
and cool have joined as one and now go hand in hand. So, to be cool,
one must be popular, though I disagree wholeheartedly. You see, I
believe that the word “cool” has been diluted by pompous scumbags over
the years, and our society is foolish enough to allow themselves to be
blinded to the facts.
I remember going through school and seeing the many cliques and
arrogant pricks walking around like they were everybody’s idol. You
see, when we were younger, to be popular/cool, one had to basically be
the biggest douche bag to walk the halls. One had to look down on
people, especially if they didn’t follow in their footsteps of fashion,
after school activities, or tread on their level of ignorance. Or, if
you’re a female, you had to have the most amazing good looks and had to
be willing to do as many sexual acts as possible to one of the popular
guys. Quite honestly, now that I look back on it, it was really a
pathetic sight. The sad thing is, most of the people who held these
celebrated positions were great people deep down, but they allowed
their levels of notoriety turn them into less than stellar human beings.
I once held a decently high status in school, but I’d often come home,
reflect on my day and think, “whoa, was I a jerk to that person?” That
made me feel terrible; you see, more often than not, one blindly
carries out an act of idiocy when they’re higher up, but because a
certain level of fame is so wanted, it is ignored and the same type of
behavior is shown the very next day. I eventually caught this and was
ashamed; I don’t think I was a huge jackass or anything like that, but
when I had the chances to step in and call someone out on their
stupidity, I remained quiet and allowed it to continue, and in my
opinion that’s just as bad as carrying out the act itself. To me, that
is about as far away from cool as one can get, and I didn’t want to be
there, and thus, I feel I changed for the better. Sure, I had to avoid
certain parties and such, but honestly, those things were just stages
for people to prove that they were bigger asses than previously
thought. Why sit around a bunch of phony people, getting drunk, doing
things that could later be regretted when I could instead place myself
around people who were genuinely kind and actually had my back and
liked me for who I really was, rather than who I pretended to be? When
I embraced this style of living, I felt better than I could ever have
imagined. Not that I stopped being friends with all those people,
because I didn’t as I felt they were good deep down, I just stopped
hanging out with them as much as I used to.
So, what do I consider to be cool? It’s very simple really; to be cool,
you just need to be yourself, not worrying what other people think,
sticking to your guns. Don’t drink in excess or do drugs because it’s
the thing to do, in fact, I’m actually against both. I drink, there’s
nothing wrong with it; I just don’t get carried away like most people
my age do (it’s really quite ignorant to be honest). Drugs; I’ve never
been for them as I had an Uncle (God rest his soul) who was an addict
and really hurt my family, and I don’t ever want to follow in those
footsteps. If you act as yourself, then you won’t need artificial forms
of euphoria to get you through your day, you’ll naturally feel good.
For some, marijuana is their true love, and I guess if you don’t abuse
it then it’s not too bad, but I’m sure there are other things you could
be doing instead, things that make you feel just as good. Doc Holliday,
a bad ass who lived during the time of the cowboys, he is what I
consider cool. He followed his own path, not that it was a perfect one,
but he remained who he was, despite what others thought of him. Jason
“MayheM” Miller and “Crazy” Ryan Bengard are two others who I feel are
the epitome of cool since they are who they are and don’t care what
other people think. You see, once you realize the importance of just
being yourself, you’ll slowly ascend the ranks of popularity. Most
importantly, you’ll set good examples for future generations and might
just change this world for the better.
Some people look down on me because I’m as goofy and ridiculous as I
am, but you know what, that’s me and I’m not changing. I’m very random,
believe in what I believe in, genuinely care for other people, I’ll
always tell you what I’m thinking, and do what I deem to be right. I’m
extremely proud of myself and who I’ve become; but I also realize that
there are many areas in which I still need to improve. So, do I
consider myself to be cool/popular? I honestly do not since I think
there are quite a few things I need to change. However, when I have
younger kids coming up to me, telling me that they look up to me, or I
have friends constantly coming to me when they need advice or someone
to talk to, I realize that I’m on my way to reaching true tranquility.
I’ve stuck to my beliefs while others continue to shift back and forth,
and I honestly feel sorry for them, because they’re lost in a cruel
world filled with ugly paths to follow. So, in conclusion I ask, why
fit a mold when you can be your own person? Lead, do not follow, and
that will make you cool in the truest sense of the word.
If you have any questions or comments for G.K., email him at GK@LostYouthNation.com, and be sure to check back here next Friday for
another random article from his unpredictable mind.
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