Codey's Personal Philosophy Essay

The society of our youth has divided and reformed to a point of confusion and disorientation. Two significantly different rivers of teen culture have emerged, leaving little space for individuals to take their own path and explore the forest of individuality. The overflowing of these rivers involves the entire devotion to a certain style of life. The rivers consist of many twists and turns, which are a direct result of constant changes in what many consider “the cool thing to do”. This way of living involves constant conforming to the rest of the river and requires a conscious effort to flow. A second more remote river flows many miles away. The second stream emphasizes individualism to a point that it remains a necessity to belong. In this unique situation, being different is conforming and conforming is deviation from “the path”. The waterways of life cover so much ground that it leaves little chance for one to create their own movement of life. The youth of today need to resolve their downfall.
A lack of a chance to show individuality, without associating with a certain lifestyle, explains why today’s adolescents fall into a downward spiral of self-direction and personality. Young adults deny each other the chance to explore ways of life and discover what culture and representation can best italicize their own thoughts and beliefs. The source of conflict is not, however, discovered deep in the woods. The problem is not the existence of two rivers, but in contrast, the fact that in the depths of their water lays human instinct. Individuals, by nature, seek to judge one another. Judgment is the source of the problem, the source of both rivers and the restraint of individuality.
The two rivers however, flow to a pond where they combine to form a maelstrom of confusion and insecurity. From afar, their water appears to be blue. The dark color assists them in hiding what actually flourishes within. When you hold the water in your hand it takes a different form. It appears transparent and you can see through it. Both groups that delineate the rivers essentially do the same thing; they just mask their identity differently. These rivers hide under the forest’s dense foliage, shielding themselves from the disconcerted verve of their teenage years.
Each person that makes up the pair of rivers has their own flare on life and a unique way of living. Some consciously seek to hide behind the blue of the river and under the trees of the forest; others fall into the rhythm solitude without even knowing. When a great wind comes and removes all the leaves from their branches, allowing light to pour into the forest floor, the victims of the eternally pouring water will cure. The light cascading from the sky above will illuminate the dark water and frees the souls within.
Let us choose to defy the trend of judgment by creating not another river, but an unwalked path. The creation of a new path, not to conform to the second river, but the formulation of an alternative. Let no standards or requirements associate with this path, for it is merely an escape from the water, allowing individuality to govern a way of life. Only by doing this, will the great wind come.