Have you ever felt like an outcast? I would love to say that I haven't, however, I would be lying. I have felt like an outcast in many situations in my life. I know that many people have and it is really sad. It is sad because I know that I only have felt like an outcast because of certain values that different parts of society holds and has held. Values that make certain people feel superior to others. Values that make people feel like they are better than others. It is okay to be different than others, everyone is different in their own right. However, if these values stopped at understanding that people are different and keeping it at that, no one would ever feel like an outcast, hypothetically speaking.
Most recently in my life, I have felt like an outcast at my university–Idaho State University. From the moment I stepped foot on campus a little over three years ago, being in a new environment surrounded by people and ideals so different from my own, I felt that way. I would love to sit here and blame the university's lack of warm welcoming and diversification for my feelings. However, I know that much of the feelings come from myself as well as me partially not opening up and isolating myself. On a side note, this is a great learning point: Understanding that there are always at least two elements that come together to create a problem so be aware of all sides to something. Anyway, back to the point at hand...me feeling like an outcast. It is, unfortunately, easy to feel like an outcast when you are the only one remotely close to yourself in an area, but I have felt like an outcast around people I considered very much like myself. When I say very much life myself, I mean very blunt and "on the surface" features such as skin color, the way we dress, the music we like to listen to, etc. You know, the things that people use to categorize certain people into different groups or whatever.
Have you ever felt like an outcast?
I know you have, and it sucks.
I wish I could change the way society works and somehow take away all of the thoughts and beliefs that cause people to see others as not as good, or not the same because if I could do that I think that no one would ever feel like an outcast again. However, I can't. So I can try and be open-minded to new people and new experiences and hope that others will follow in my foot steps. Because deep down inside I know that we are all created equal and that we are all the same race...the human race (I know that sounds corny, but it is true and an inspirational way to end this article, so just deal with it).
