Recognition

Mood: meh
Listening to: 'Prommise' from Yi San (ADDICTED)
Hungry for: meh
Bella says: 'bah skye's stolen my blankie againn....oh well i'll just steal grandaddy's chair then'

People live for many things. Some live for love, some for hate. Some live for revenge, for money, for glory, for fame. I live for recognition.

In primary school, my achievements were always overlooked. They did not want to make the other children feel bad, they said. It wasn't fair that I got awards when other children just watched. But did they ever think about how that made me feel? The disappointment after hours upon hours of hard work come to nothing? My primary school was truly utalitarian - they were willing to sacrifice the happiness of one lonely little girl for those who were freely recognised for their sporting talents.

I don't mind that I never get paid for anything. I don't mind when people ask me to go out of my way to do things. But I expect to gain something from that. Some say that I love the attention, but the truth is, I simply love being recognised. When I work towards something, I don't want to work towards nothing - even just a smile or a thanks makes anything worth doing. All I ever wanted was some respect, some acknowledgement, for what I could do. I have learned not to be a sour grape and I now I always acknowledge the achievements of others, so why can't they just be happy for me?

In high school, everything has changed. Everything is a competition - it makes us work harder. And I love it. There is nothing like the sting of losing to really get you going. And there is nothing like having your name printed on the newsletters, on the noticeboards, on the concert programmes. There is nothing quite like having your name called out and taking a bow.

With every competition, there are always winners. I believe that winners not only win the competition, but have the right to win respect and rewards for their efforts. To fear losing is weak, and to protect children from losing is foolish - especially at the cost of another child's happiness. Children need to learn how to lose, and how it feels to lose badly. It's a harsh world out there, and it's irresponsible not to prepare children for the ups and downs of life. I believe that children these days are too cushioned from reality. They're never told what they're good at, and what they're bad at. They have no sense of direction at all in life. They have no grasp of reality, of the possible and the improbable. They have no goals, they have no respect for their own talents and the talents of others, they have no dreams, they die with unfulfilled destinies. You cannot blame these directionless children for their lack of drive - I blame the adults around them, the people who knew better but did not educate them about life ahead for the sake of preventing a few childhood tears.