3March 2018Opinion

By Jenna SalernoStaff Reporter

The American novelist and film director Stephen Chbosky once wrote, “We accept the love we think we deserve.” This is one of the most truthful statements out there; however, I find the amount of discipline it takes to demand the most out of

Most high school stu-dents have been in the situa-tion where they are the topic of discussion over something that they posted on a form of social media, whether it be Snapchat, Instagram, or Twitter. The infamous line of “Did you see what (insert name here) posted the other

T o p o s t o r n o t t o p o s t

By Kaylie RochaStaff Reporter

Stand and help neighbors around you

By Maggie FeehanStaff Reporter

S e a r c h i n g f o r t h e b e s t

day?” can be heard in all hallways of Scotus.

People are always going to judge what you do, but I do not think that should stop you from posting what you want to on social media.

I am a fan of Snapchat stories. Not only do I like posting on mine, but I also enjoy viewing other people’s stories as it keeps me up to date with all of my friends and family members whom I may not see every day. By having my friends in Omaha, New York, or even Germany on Snapchat, it makes me feel like we are still as close as we would be if they lived in Columbus. That is one of the greatest parts of social media. It allows everyone to be more accessible.

So if you are wondering “To post or not to post?” about a Snapchat or Insta-gram post, go for it because it

is a great form of self-expres-sion that allows the people who don’t see you every day to stay involved in your life. Except for the people who post three minute videos of them-selves driving listen-ing to a song with the caption “This puts me in the feels (insert broken heart emoji here).” The answer to that question is a definite ‘not to post’.

Not only is Snapchat a great way for teens to stay

connected, but many adults use Snapchat to check up on their kids. Most people post more on their Snapchat story than they post on Instagram or Facebook. By following

their kids on so-cial media, Snap-chat in particular, parents can get a new perspective on what their kids are doing.

Facebook and Instagram are also great ways for families to stay in touch. I have a big fam-ily, and we have our own group on Facebook to plan family

gatherings, announce special occasions such as engage-ments or pregnancies, and even just to send updates of how people are doing in their

everyday lives. Instagram is also beneficial because peo-ple post the good things that have happened to them and that allows friends and family to keep up with what is going on in others’ lives.

By following family and friends on social media, this helps to eliminate some awkward conversations that could happen if you are not up to date. Accidently asking someone about their boyfriend only to hear them respond with, “Oh, we broke up… yesterday,” can be one of the most uncomfortable situations to be in. Knowing about people getting married, breaking up, getting injured, or even hired/fired from a job can help avoid these awk-ward situations.

Social media does have some negatives. Harassment and stalking are some com-mon issues with social media,

along with inappropriate posts, but if people think be-forehand and post appropri-ately, social media’s positives far outweigh the negatives.

Do you have to limit what you post because of other people not wanting to see it or not caring about it? No, you don’t because social media is a public forum meant for communication and a more public social life. If someone is not interested in what you are posting, they can either unfollow you or just choose not to look at it. These choices are always available on all forms of social media, right at the click of a button. So the next time someone complains about what YOU posted on Thursday night, remind them of the unfollow button and continue living your life in social media peace.

A fellow student is get-ting bullied for the way his voice sounds, or another classmate falls on the ice. Did you help, or did you

walk away, thinking they’ll be fine?

Today, in our world, people will not stand up to do the right thing due to the fact of the bystander effect, or more commonly known as the bystander apathy. The bystander apathy is the belief of not assisting some-one since there are multiple other people surrounding the victim who could help.

I believe that adults and even children won’t help someone because of the bystander apathy.

Assumptions can be found throughout everyday life, whether these assump-tions be about others on so-cial media or people who are hurt, people assume they will

ask for help. That is usually not the case. Assumptions don’t get anyone anywhere, it usually ends up in hurt feel-ings and consequences. The next time you see someone in need of help, reach out a hand instead of making assump-tions that someone around you will do it before it stays on your mind all day, and you wonder what happened to that person.

Stand out of that comfort zone. Take the re-sponsibility of any situation, especially when someone is in need. Most times, these people are embarrassed that this problem is happening to them and do not know how to ask directly for help. For example, a 7th grader who

is being bullied by another 7th grader. He might not want to say anything because he doesn’t want to admit that a girl or even a boy who is stron-ger than him, is bullying him.

The last step of this process of eliminating the bystand-er effect is implement the

action. Determine the plan of being an assistant to a bad situa-tion. The kid that is being bullied? Go up to the bul-ly and ask what is hap-pening, and if the action is an appro-priate behav-ior. Report the bully to an-other adult, or if you are the adult, tell the bully’s parent

and let the consequences fall where they may. Don’t let the action continue, stand up for

the person and better yourself as a person.

There are going to be times where the bystander apathy might be okay. If the situation can endanger your life if you involve your-self, call the police; don’t completely ignore what is happening. You can still be a savior to someone who is getting hurt or taken advan-tage of.

The next time some-one needs assistance, take the initiative to help with the problem. Call someone. Help them up to their feet and see if you can get them back on their own two legs. Don’t let the bystander apathy take over, be the help in the world that people need.

our lives can sometimes be easier said than done.

From the beginning of time, humans were created with the desire to have hu-man connection. Yet with this inclination, it is sometimes easy to settle for people who are not worth our valuable time. It’s simple to lower our standards and make excuses for people preventing us from becoming our best selves. Ultimately, we think that low-ering our standards will save us pain in the long run when, on the contrary, it leaves us feeling emptier than ever.

When we choose to set-tle for less than we deserve, we become the most signifi-cant collaborator in our own dissatisfaction. In this case, we are denying ourselves the love and relationships God has set up for us.

Some people do not

deserve to be a part of your life simply because they are not helping you live a happy life and grow to your fullest potential. In reality, they are bring-ing you down and dimming the light you have to give to the world.

De-spite these people we usually run into on our journey through life, we have the choice to decide whom we invest our time into. For instance, staying

in a relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend who isn’t supporting your goals and loving you for you is

settling for less. Choos-ing to be with that certain someone prevents you from finding the person you were really meant to find. It causes you to interfere with your own true happiness. Maybe there is that one friend who never con-siders what

you want or always insists on keeping you down, so they can feel better about them-

selves. Whatever it may be, now is the time to think about the people you really deserve in this life. When I look back, I realize that while I was letting certain people go, I was able to make better and happier relationships.

While some people are very particular when choos-ing friends, there is a point often overlooked by many. Too often we settle for the person staring right back at us in the mirror. This is not to say we need to constantly change ourselves to please the crowd. I’m saying that each of us should strive for greatness and work on our-selves every single day, not settling for average.

Ultimately, you are your biggest investment, and God has created you for a purpose. Choosing to live in comfort is dangerous because you don’t

Kaylie Rocha/Rock Bottom Staff

grow and truly live when you’re comfortable. After all, the more we fill our minds, the more places we can go, and the more people we can interact with. When I give just that little extra inch as opposed to settling for aver-age, I feel more accomplished and truly see myself growing. This goes for everything including academics, sports, and, most importantly, my relationships.

The fear of being lonely can sometimes prompt us to settle for less than we deserve. But if we speak up now and express what we want from life, the world is ready to give us just that. Thus, we can truly accept the love we know we deserve. Everyone wants the best, and they can choose to receive it, as long as they don’t settle for anything less.

“Stand out of that comfort zone. Take the responsibility of any situation, espe-cially when some-

one is in need. Most times, these people

are embarassed about this happen-ing to them and do

not know how to ask directly for help.”

~Kaylie Rocha

“The fear of being lonely can some-

times prompt us to settle for less than we deserve. But if we speak up now

and express what we want from life, the

world is ready to give us just that.”

~Maggie Feehan

“People are always going to judge what you do, but I do not think that should

stop you from posting what you want to on social

media.”

~Jenna Salerno