Real Problems

This my English essay #1, I had to write a piece about an event or idea that was important to me. I'd like to dedicate this post to Aarushi. It's hard for me to write anything and so I appreciate the support. I'll post her feedback on Friday or so

In the words of Richard Carlson “Don’t sweat the small stuff and it’s all small stuff.” Some people have troubles. Some people were born with them while others just develop them later in life. To be honest, I am not one of either of these types of people. I mean, I have troubles but they are nothing in comparison to citizens of third world countries, doctors, drug addicts, soldiers or even bums. I do not think it particularly matters how their problems came to be, what matters is that they are real. I am a young, healthy, white, middle class women living in a safe, liberal city.

My real problems are virtually nonexistent. I do not struggle with hunger, drugs, violence, or abusive parents. The only problems I have are self inflicted. I choose to eat fatty foods that give me acne, I choose to be with people that hurt me, I choose to skip class and I choose to put harmful substances in my body. No one forces me to make these decisions, au contraire, I am constantly encouraged to stay away from these negative aspects of life and make healthy choices. These problems may feel real to me and make me unhappy, but they are all my own fault and could easily be fixed by doing what I know is right. Even if I get skin cancer, which I consider a ‘real’ problem, I would only have myself to blame because I use tanning booths and rarely apply the appropriate amount of sunscreen before stepping out into the beautiful sun. Another example of this phenomenon is how I stress out about not being able to find a job but in all actuality I do not need one. All having one would do is provide some extra cash and something stable in in my life other than school. The fact that the problems may or may not be real does not stop me from being bothered or halt my pursuit. What separates me from other people is that I have the luxury to worry about issues that do not matter in the grand scheme of things.

In the past few months I have found a major flaw in myself: I am lazy. I would much rather sit in my apartment and watch television, listen to music or hang out with my friends than do something productive like my homework, reading a difficult book or even cleaning my kitchen. I did not used to be this way and I am not sure how it developed into the massive problem it has become. If I was more proactive I would rediscover things I used to love like art, reading and running. Again, I am not quite sure when I lost site of these loves. No doubt it was probably around the same time I found laziness. Not only would I eliminate a lot bad things by being more productive, I would also not have time to ponder how stupid my problems really are.

While I do not wish I had real problems, I want to understand and possibly help the people who do. As I was writing this essay, I heard about the shocking earthquake in Haiti from MSNBC. The sheer mass of destruction was enough to make me become transfixed by the television and have an urge to text the number on the screen to donate money to the cause. These people have real problems, this will be a mess to clean up for the ages. I feel for all the people who not only lost their loved ones but also their homes as well. This was obviously unplanned and unexpected so there are now hundreds of thousands of people who are hungry, thirsty, alone and with no place to go. I think it is safe to say this is a worst case scenario and things do not seem
to be getting better. These people are living my nightmare and I feel for them.

My question of the severity of everyday problems is a fairly resent thought for me and has been hard to except. I understand that many other young people may not agree with my opinions, seeing as how we all want our struggles to be validated and seem difficult. All the same, I feel my thoughts are legitimate. I realize my thoughts may be brutally honest and could be misconstrued as extreme, but I am trying to ask a logical question. How important are our problems? Like many others, I am not sure what is truly important in this world or what exactly constitutes a ‘real’ problem, but I am confident I have made it clear what is not. All people have troubles but we should ask ourselves are they troubled souls or do they just take frivolous aspects of their lives too seriously? Consequentially it takes hold of their health and happiness. In my opinion, life is generally swell and people need to revaluate their ‘problems’ and keep sight of what is really important.