Say What You Want to Say

Sometimes there's something you want to say. Maybe to one person, maybe to a group of people, maybe to the world. Sometimes it feels like maybe, if you could just say something about it, your whole life would change. If everyone could understand why it was so important, if everyone would just take it seriously, if everyone would just take you seriously. But at fifteen years old, most times people don't take you seriously. Not because you don't deserve to be heard or because what you have to say is unimportant, but because you're fifteen. And fifteen-year-olds these days have a bad reputation. When we have an opinion about something important, it is often assumed that we don't know what we're talking about or that we're in over our heads. When we try to voice our opinions or talk about important issues, we are too often seen as little children playing dress-up.

When you are a fifteen-year-old trying to make a difference in a cruel, unfair world, the fact that your age is always undermining your arguments makes it really hard to have confidence in yourself and your ability to advocate for what you believe is right. From the moment you enter a discussion, adults are loath to take you seriously before you even try to speak. Knowing that your age puts a crack in the foundation of your argument before you really have a chance to make it can kind of put you on defensive mode. There is added pressure to have your arguments organized and ready to go and to know the answer to any and every question that you could be asked. That extra pressure makes it hard for you to clearly vocalize your argument, and when you fumble your words or say something wrong, people assume that it is because you never had a strong argument in the first place because (*sigh*) you're fifteen!

As a fifteen-year-old girl who has spent years having strong opinions about many important things, I know that it stings when adults don't take you seriously. After a certain amount of being underestimated, not taken seriously, and pushed aside, it doesn't feel worth it to try to stand up for things anymore, because what difference does it make? What can one person really do? Can you actually make any important change in the world at fifteen years old? 

Yes, you can. 

Maybe you won't see the change you've made for a long time. Maybe you'll never get to see it for yourself. Maybe your impact won't be evident until a long time after you've spoken up. But that doesn't mean the impact was not made. And even if you don't change the WHOLE WORLD, you could change a life or two. I read somewhere that you should aim for the moon, because even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

So say what you want to say! Just do it! Even if you don't succeed in the way you hoped you would, you'll always know that you tried. And trying is better than not trying. I am using this blog as a platform with which to amplify my voice and just say what I want to say. I will include quotes and posts from various social media platforms to better explain myself. I don't have the original sources for all of them, but I do not take credit for any pictures or quotes that I include in my posts. Whether people hear me or not, whether they understand me or not, I'm still going to use my voice to speak up for what I believe is right. Because if this is my swan song, I'm going to make it count.

Sincerely,
Fifteen