—Anonymous
When reading a text from school, I want it to be interesting and fun for me to read. At the same time, I also want it to be relatable. Some of the readings that I found to be meaningful are the Kant and Sade readings. Our very first reading was meaningful in ways where it was very relatable to life today. People today are too lazy to think for themselves and have to rely on others to make life decisions, too afraid to step out and be their own person. Therefore, there always being a standard in society, people are too scared to step out and be unique. We as people have a sole reliance on others to push themselves out. There would be people to guide us through the tough times. We as humans are constrained to only speak from the past because the new norm has not been accepted yet. Having someone speak for us only makes us a follower and we will have to stay by their word without having an opinion of our own.
For this to be a “great” work, it has to be relatable. There are still norms that have yet to be accepted added to the pressure of trying to be unique. There are only so many people that will accept the uniqueness that one has before it becomes a laughingstock to others. Many other mediums such as movies, books, and songs have a message of trying to yourself and not reliant on others. There are songs about empowerment in men and women. The song “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson is a great example of empowerment. It tells people to be strong and fight for what is theirs, fight for their dreams. There have been films about superheroes and people who are fed up with being a “follower” and becoming a leader. From a young age, many teachers would encourage students to take the lead and be the leader to make the choices they want to make. Being a follower doesn’t always have a good outcome.
In Sade’s reading, he writes about how a person should be their own person who thinks for themselves. This is the opposite of what Kant writes about people. There are some people who are not willing to comply with others because they think that they shouldn’t care what others think. They forget about those norms and make one themselves. In Sade’s narrative about Juliette, he writes about how she should satisfy her own needs instead of complying with what other people say or do. People are not here to be satisfied; each has their own needs to worry about. If ignoring what other people think can bring us happiness, we rather do that than suffocate under all the things we can’t say. Everyone has to be a little selfish for themselves because there is only so much one can do for others while caring for themselves.
I will admit, I am the follower. I think that I take Kant’s side of being a follower and being scared. Most people like me have the fear of not being able to fit in and being excluded. People don’t want to offend others and attract danger to themselves, so they choose to hide and follow others. But as I grow older, I can see myself breaking out of that shell. There are so many things that can inspire me to go out there and take the lead. I need some happiness in my life to keep myself going. Things like movies and music make me feel like there is no limit to where my skills can go. There is always something that I can do to improve myself, to learn from what I did as a “follower”. From what I learned, it is to teach and inspire these followers on what is like to be the leader breaking out of the shell.
