Personal Essay Number One

Social Commentary: An opinion from me, for you to consider

Sierra Spraker | July 1, 2022

It’s no secret the world is a crazy place. I’ve lived in California for well over four years at this point, and it’s often felt as though the state hasn’t stopped physically burning. A figurative fire has since spread everywhere; primarily, and most unfortunately, into people’s minds and hearts.

This isn’t me attempting to convince you think differently from how you already do, I couldn’t do that anyway. People’s convictions are often what they cling most strongly to, so any attempt for me to disentangle you from that would be in vain.

I grew up in a Christian household. My entire life I learned that grace, compassion, understanding, and forgiveness were the best ways to resolve differences between people. I learned that life was a gift given from God. As I grew older, I started hearing other perspectives, and I tossed myself into the human experiences which came my way. As I see it, everything around us is a lesson.

Life is valuable, and we should cling to it. We should remember it’s fleeting, and make the moments count. Love the people who feed your soul, and then tell them that you love them. Listen to the music that creates a rhythm in your deepest mind and then express yourself through dance. Be present and honest with yourself. It’s ok to not know who you want to be, I believe we can be many different versions of ourself. Each version being its own beautiful chapter.

I’m in an exploration phase myself. Perhaps you are too.

My thoughts on the current events have been strung together into this small essay. It’s a tumultuous environment, to say the very least. It’s scary. I couldn’t imagine being a child right now, hearing the adults speak of things you don’t understand. As an adult, I still don’t understand. As an American, I’m in complete disbelief of this broken, disjointed, and demeaning system. Most days it feels as though a numbing sensation has settled in my mind.

There are many social dilemmas I could speak on, although my disclaimer is that I’m not overtly educated in any of it. Take what I say with a grain of salt.

I believe women should have the right to control their bodies. I don’t believe the words “killing babies” is an ethical tactic to rein people in. I believe abortion should be legal everywhere. I don’t think people who are anti-abortion really understand the true repercussions of denying women the ability to help themselves. To be clear, I’m referring to the act of self-preservation. There are countless scenarios we could speculate on concerning the issue. It’s deeply saddening to see authority figures think in so tiny of a box, and then even worse to watch people agree with them without knowing what they’re agreeing to (worst of all other women). It leads me to ask the question, what reality are we introducing to the next generation?

Knowing fully that history repeats itself, I didn’t believe my country could fundamentally be this close-minded. I’m grateful to have a significant other in my life that respects me as a woman, and is an ally to those who wish the best for women as a whole. I’m grateful to be able to engage in open conversation with members of my family on pressing social issues, even if we don’t agree on the fine print. Even the act of elevated dialogue is important. I’m sure I could write a novel of opinions, all sporadic and disjointed. Currently, however, my opinions mostly involve my disappointment in those who have no regard for people with different beliefs than themselves. This includes those who believe a ball of cells represents a person, and that an electrical pulse picked up by a machine is summarized as a “heartbeat”. If anyone was curious, the four chambered heart as we know it doesn’t appear until the 10th week of fetal development, before that the primitive “heart” is comprised of two tubes that release signals resembling a heartbeat.

These are my thoughts out loud. Take it or leave it, I don’t really care either way. After all, if you made it this far, perhaps I was more compelling than you expected.