I, quite frankly, am fed up with this idea, this misconception, that the way things happen in life is just the way things are. This idea that life is not fair and sometimes we get stuck with “those people” and we just have to learn to deal with it and with them because they will always exist. True, not much can be done to eliminate “those people” from your life whether they are in your workplace or classroom, but you can learn to stand up for yourself. True, things happen in life that aren’t fair but that does not mean that we should always give in to what has been handed to us.

It is high time that people start taking responsibility for our own lives and for what happens to them and stop making excuses for letting things get by, letting injustices slide. I certainly believe in equality, fairness and justice for all. I don’t feel that when someone does me an injustice I should stand by and let it happen, I believe in taking action. If a person promises to impose on my life I make it a point and a mission to show that I am qualified, that I deserve and command respect. Eleanor Roosevelt once said “no one can ever make you feel inferior without your consent.” And if they are disrupting your workplace or classroom in a rude and immature way, stand up and say something because chances are there are others that feel the same way you do. No one has the right to hinder your learning experience or disrupt your workplace. If they threaten to take your dreams right out from under you, or the dreams of those you care about, stand up for yourself and show what you are made of. These people exist in the world, but that doesn’t mean that we have to let them run it.

There are sometimes circumstances and events that are out of our control, sometimes we cannot do anything about them, but that does not mean that we should let the effects of those events stop us from living our lives the way we want. Sometimes things happen that aren’t fair and people will say well that’s just the way it is and you have to deal with it. That doesn’t make it right. We often times forfeit equality and justice in hopes of avoiding confrontation. Why do we stand by and let injustices take place? Why do we let people who are only looking out for number one run the show? They don’t care about what happens to us, so why do we let them and their injustices ruin our lives?

What happened to defending our own honor, to never giving up, to following our dreams and not letting others get in the way? What happened to the American dream? Never tell me that life isn’t fair. Never tell me that sometimes “there are those people” because, honestly, injustices don’t have to exist and we do not have to stand and watch others inhibit our learning experiences or tread on our dreams and disrupt our lives. Stop, for lack of a better phrase, ‘punking out’ on life and start standing up for yourselves. The world will be a better place, one person at a time, if we do.