Home of the brave and the land of the free to be you and me???

Dear America,

When will it be okay to be yourself?

Love Always,

Brian

When I was a little boy I was told that I was special. Many teachers told me I was smart, people often told me I was funny, sweet, kind, thoughtful etc.... So many words used to describe the little boy that I was. I was different and it was celebrated. One of my friends once told me that I marched to the beat of my own drum and that he always admired that about me. As I grew older, I noticed that fewer people remarked kindly on what made me different, and started to concentrate on what makes me just like everyone else. When did it become bad to be different?

I have often wondered what offended these people. I had a teacher remark once that she thought it was odd that when I read I sat indian style in my desk and rocked back and forth. Another teacher once worried that I carried too many books to read. That I did not just focus on one, but had three going at the same time. The music is never right, and the tv shows that I watch are not the right tv shows. I am made fun of because I watch a soap opera and because I like fun pop music. So it makes me wonder, at what point did my drum become to loud?

In the home of the brave and the land of the free, why can't we be free to be you and me? I do not have any desire to be the guy that sits next to me or the person that you want me to be. I have played that game for far too long. All through High School I tried to be the person that people expected me to be. I was polite when I wanted to be rude, walked when I wanted to run, and sat in silence when I wanted to cry. Why must I bind myself up so tightly? Why do the people who have nothing to do with my life have so much to say about my life? So I guess what I am saying America, (and New Jersey) let people do the things they need to do. What does it matter? How does it hurt you that I like to listen to Pink and read Pride and Prejudice sequels? If you don't like the music or the book, don't listen or read. It is that simple. In the same vain, if you do not want to marry a person of the same sex, then don't, but don't tell someone else that they have to live in the world that you live in. Not everyone has the same beliefs.

Some people may think it should be Adam and Steve, and they may think that there was no Adam and Eve. That's okay America. You can think differently and still be friends. You don't have to live someone else's life and you don't have to listen to their music, but you should respect the choices that they make, and understand that not everyone marches to your drum. They may not even have a drum, they may have a piano or a flute, and how boring would the orchestra be with only drums. So America, let everyone be who they want to be and just back the freak off!