rebelling against low expectations

ArchiveJune 2015

How do you avoid gossip?

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EMILY WRITES: Last night I was a party with my friends. Note that it wasn’t a stereotypical party — it was a pizza party for my soccer team. The parents were home and everything. The girls had finished eating and sat around to talk. Pretty soon, everyone was talking about their friends behind their backs and saying things that shouldn’t have been said. I tried to change the subject multiple...

Don’t Do What I Did. I Wasted My High School Years.

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Like many new high school students, I entered my first year very insecure about myself and virtually without any friends. I went through my grade 9 and 10 years keeping to myself and simply trying to avoid being made fun of like I had been in elementary school. My withdrawal was so severe that I literally never stepped foot into our school’s cafeteria until I was already in grade 11! I had grown...

Is it right to make jokes about politicians?

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LAURA WRITES: So politicians are the butt of many jokes. For example, “In Chicago last year, it was so cold, the politicians all had their hands in their own pockets!” or “Q: How do you know when a politician’s lying? A: When his mouth is open.” As Christians who are to “give proper respect to authorities,” is it right to joke about politicians as a whole? What about specific politicians (e.g...

Why I Stopped Being Myself (And Never Want to Go Back)

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“Be true to your heart.” “BeYOUtiful.” “Do what makes you happy.” “Just be yourself.” We’ve all heard them. The self esteem pep talks about loving yourself, and being true to your feelings. It’s all over the media, and it is encouraged in society as a remedy to many of our dilemmas. Sounds good, right? May I humbly point out, my friends...

How can I befriend my siblings?

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ANONYMOUS WRITES: I have really great younger siblings, but, partly due to my using them and selfishness in the past, they now resent me. The sister closest to me in age was the one who does truly have cause to resent me — I think the others just follow her lead. I’ve apologized, and let her know I’m trying to change — and she is trying to regain our relationship, but I’m not...

3 Lessons (About Love) I Learned While Caring For a 107-Year-Old

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Once upon a time there was a girl who thought she knew what it meant to love others, to serve others, and to give of herself to others. But once upon a time she helped care for her great grandmother and realized just how far she was from truly grasping what it means to really love, serve, and give of oneself. My sister and I just recently spent about 2-3 weeks caring for my 107-year-old great...

What can you do when losing becomes an attitude?

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MARY WRITES: At my school, our basketball teams rarely win games. This past season we didn’t win any games, and last year we only won one game. In past years, people have had really negative attitudes to our school’s sport teams and joked about them. This year, we didn’t have this problem. No one joked or talked negatively about our losing streak. But I think no one expects to...

I’m Not Waiting Anymore (And You Shouldn’t Either)

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Often I find myself waiting, for something. I wait until a better time. I wait until I feel like it. I wait until I “can”. I wait to do hard things until I’m qualified to do them, or can do it perfectly, or am just the right person to do them. So many times I talk about how I want to be this and do that and be that one person that pushes harder than everybody and gets stuff done...

How can I reach out to a friend with depression?

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JEFF WRITES: This question has been a hard one for me to answer. I feel like my friends both need and want help, but I don’t know how to give it to them. Share Your Thoughts in the Comment Section! There are currently 7 Comment(s) Have something else you’d like to discuss? Just submit your question or topic (and any elaboration you’d like to provide) using our Submit Content...

WARNING: Don’t Let Your Dream Become Your Purpose

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We all have the same purpose. Does that statement surprise you? With all of the dreams and aspirations about finding purpose that we see in the world today, can it really be that simple? People spend their entire lives searching for the meaning and uniqueness of their existence and here I come, a fresh-faced 18-year-old, saying that our purpose has been right in front of us from the very...

rebelling against low expectations

The Rebelution is a teenage rebellion against low expectations—a worldwide campaign to reject apathy, embrace responsibility, and do hard things. Learn More →