Spotlighters | Teen Ink

Spotlighters

June 22, 2012
By NoRulesJustWrite PLATINUM, Ada, Michigan
NoRulesJustWrite PLATINUM, Ada, Michigan
21 articles 5 photos 50 comments

Favorite Quote:
Stay happy, stay weird, and don't let anyone take away your smile.


We do always seem to want more than what we have at any given time. I used to put myself into this mindset that that was not the case for me. I would go through these phases where I knew what the majority did or thought or I knew what the “right” thing to do would be and I would do the opposite just to be different even if I didn’t believe in it or understand it. But, no matter how many times I put myself into that mindset, I always knew in the back of my mind that that wasn’t me. I can’t lie to myself and feel okay about it because myself and I are very close even though we do not like to agree most of the time.

So, this morning while I was watching my Adele Live at The Royal Albert Hall DVD, I had sort of an epiphany. I have these a lot but I never know quite exactly what to do with them. Watching her sing and seeing her emotions and the singing and emotions of the people in the crowd, I just was in awe. It’s only a DVD, but I felt like I was there, experiencing it all. And I may be one of the few cheeseball people this happens to, but I always cry at concerts no matter what. I think what amazes me is the combination of so many happy people together mixed with the fact they are all there for one person or band. I am very in tune with other people’s feelings and emotions so I just feel them all the time and they pass onto me very easily…there’s a word for that, I believe, but I can’t think of it now. For example, seeing Adele light up when the crowd sang the chorus of “Someone Like You” back to her, just made tears start running down my face. I was smiling the entire time, but I could not stop crying. I could just feel what she was feeling. I can’t even imagine what that would be like to stand before all those people and be so loved, but it overwhelms me just watching it happen to other people.

The same thing has happened to me at Taylor Swift concerts because she has been my absolute inspiration and role model since I first heard “Tim McGraw” debut on my local radio station. I have since seen her in concert about 6 times, met her mother, a couple of her backup dancers, and had Taylor sing “Hey Stephen” not more than two feet from me, then giving me the biggest hug afterwards. Moments like these concerts just take me over entirely and sink into my soul. I will never stop being amazed by how much one song can change a person’s life. Or how much one person can change a person’s life…and then millions can be changed by one as well. And one can be changed by millions.
Just the sheer amount of people that come together at concerts makes me have faith that we can all come together for even bigger causes without issues and fallout. If 18,000 people can all sing the same song together in unison, why can’t we channel that into other aspects of our lives? Sure, the lyrics all have different meanings for each person, but the outcome and message is the same. We all believe it and believe in the person singing it. See where I’m going with this? I’m not just saying the timeless “music is love” quote or something. I seriously believe that by looking at situations differently, there is so much more room for improvement. That being said, everyone go out and take in a concert with this in mind. Take in what the singer is feeling on stage and what she has gone through to get where she is. Take in each crowd member’s personal stories and struggles that they have inside of them to relate to the song. Take in your own story at the same time. You won’t regret a moment.

I find inspiration in the new song by Karmin called, “Too Many Fish.” I think it’s really directed toward the relationship angle of things, saying that there are too many people out there to only have one person who is right for you. So, not to worry about a lost relationship because there will be another one down the line. But, that’s not really what I think about so much now that I have been listening to it more. I think about how much time I spend on YouTube watching vlogs and music videos and whatnot. I think about how much time I spend on Facebook, most of the time looking at pictures and things I am not a part of in the least. I’m just so interested in life and the way different people live it. Sure, I guess I’m a bit of a “creeper,” but that’s basically what the whole new social media revolution has taught all of us to be. I just find it fascinating to learn about other people’s lives and get perspectives I may not have gotten before Facebook allowed you to have 5,000 some odd “friends” and before YouTube came along and let anyone share themselves with the world. Sharing yourself with the world. It’s an amazing opportunity that we all have. Not to sound like a cliché teacher or mom, but each of us does have something unique to bring to the party. It just kills me when someone bullies someone else or puts someone down because it’s such a cycle that just keeps happening. The consequences can be so tragic, and for what? Because you wore neon shoes to school? Because you have braces on your teeth? Because you have acne, or because you have only one best friend, or because your hair is frizzy, or because you can’t afford to shop at Hollister? There is absolutely NO reason for bullying and putting someone else down. It is my biggest problem with today’s society. The whole lovely thing about life and the world is that there are so many different things in it and those only come from different ideas and different people. Why in the world would someone make fun of someone else for being different? I understand that “different” may be an uncomfortable concept to someone who likes the status quo and keeping things the same as they have always been. But just because it is out of your comfort zone or because you don’t understand it does not give you any right to say that someone is stupid or wrong. There is so much to the story that we will never know. That goes for almost everything in life, and that also ties into rumors and gossip and nasty things that will ruin you. Believe what you want to believe because of the reasons and people in your life that you trust. Believe in yourself and trust in your own choices and decisions. That’s all you can do. But there’s “too many fish in the sea” for there to only be room for one spotlighter. We can all be bright. (:


The author's comments:
This is kind of just a mish-mash of my thoughts this morning, but I hope they are a bit coherent and make sense. Sometimes I just have to write and write without stopping until I feel better and this time I thought I'd post it since I'm only going to be a teen for another year.

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