Believe it or not, behind this screen, there is an actual, breathing human being with feelings and emotions. As many of you may know, I posted an article about some of my negative experiences at Campbell that in a matter of a couple hours ultimately needed to be taken down. Many people will have different experiences on a college campus, and even if they may not be the same as yours or what you perceive, that is no right to harass someone on social media. It takes strength and courage to share stories that other people may not agree with because in this day and age if something is shared that is different from other's opinions, you are considered ignorant, ill-informed, and a liar. Nobody should have to deactivate their Facebook page because of threatening messages about an article based off of entirely personal experience.
Social media has been an incredible thing for me, it has allowed me to write on Odyssey and be able to help people through my spiritual journey and growing stronger as a person. But I think, in this moment and time, it is best if I take a break from social media. The sinking feeling I get when I see another Yak about me is painful and hurts because they do not know me personally, but I am addicted to the anxiety of waiting for the next post or the next hurtful message. I wrote in the beginning to help people, but as of right now, I am only hurting myself in my efforts.
People who read my previous articles know that I suffer from anxiety. College is stressful enough as it is—the events described in the controversial article were not elaborate fiction designed to slander Campbell. I love this school, but there were some glaring discrepancies that had to be addressed, things they don't talk about in the glossy pages of the brochure. My dorm situation, and then the events in the library just made it all clear to me that something had to be said. Even though I knew I would receive backlash, it was important to me that I shared it. Telling others that they are wrong because they have not had similar experiences is like saying if someone got mugged in a parking lot they are wrong because you are in that parking lot many times and that never happened to you.
The best thing for me right now and maybe some of you going through the same thing right now is to turn off the notifications and log out. Keeping negativity and pressure looming over you constantly will not let you live your life to the fullest. I give peace and love to everyone, even the people who hurt me, because honestly, this made me a stronger person, and I realize what it means to stick up for yourself and others who feel like they are alone. It is easy to sit behind a screen and comment harsh words about someone's character but is a harder thing to try to listen and sympathize with a situation that never happened to you. "I can't compete for likes and follows, I won't win. What I will do is pour out my heart and allow love to reach those that need it."- E'yen A. Gardener
