Jalen Boyd Final Blog Post #3 Section 12

This I Believe: Loving Yourself

When it comes to loving yourself I thought I had everything under control. That is, until I started realizing the kind of choices I was making by the way I changed myself in certain social settings. I came to realize that I was holding back emotions I was feeling when I was really happy and excited, I withdrew and contained my flailing arms from flapping about, I even acted as straight as possible just to make the person I was talking to comfortable enough to know that they were not talking to a homosexual. I did all these things for the sake of someone else. I believed that it was okay to do such things. However, in doing so, I was not being myself and I was certainly not loving myself. I did these things to protect myself from ridicule and from negative responses but never thought about the way it was truly changing me a person. I was no longer staying true to who I was. I am a flamboyant, witty gay who tends to talk at a higher octave at times. I must use my arms when I am telling a story and I cannot help but to exude happiness. It is in my nature to do these things. It is what I have grown accustomed to. These traits make me for me and once I realized that, I started loving myself. I do not think about what others may think of me. It is none of my business. I must strive to be the best me I can be. People cannot knock me down but then again, I do not understand why they feel compelled to. I am living the life I want, being the happiest I can be, yet they are concerned with how I am acting. This boggles my mind to no end. I believe we should adopt this kind of love for ourselves. This I believe.
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Jalen Boyd Final Blog Post #2 Section 12

This I Believe: Reasons

I believe that every choice we make and every action we take has a reason behind it. If we decide to go shopping, there is a reason. If we decide to make cake, there is a reason. Even if we decide to trip and fall, there is still a reason. All of these examples have reasons, the first may be because we have money to spend, the second may be because we want sugary goodness in our bodies and the third may be because gravity is not on our side. With all the possibilities for reason to support our choices, I do not understand when people respond with “I don’t know?” as their answer when asked why they did what they did or said what they said. They said it for a reason, so why not just tell the reason instead of being difficult? Perhaps they are embarrassed of the real reason or they were attempting to be funny but failed and are too ashamed to admit it. People tend to bug me when they are not responsible enough to admit why they did the things they did when asked about them. I have answers for everything I do. Whether they are silly or serious, they are my answers and will not change. I have no problem with people asking me why I do the things I do. I am prepared to give them my answers because I feel they have no right to question my reason for it. I believe being wrong can definitely happen so I admit to that as my reason if I were to do something detrimental. I believe this kind of responsibility is noble. There is not a lot of honesty in the world today so when someone demonstrates it, it is as if chivalry isn't dead. When in doubt, tell the truth. The truth is the real reason behind everything we do. That is what I believe anyway. 

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Jalen Boyd Final Blog Post #1 Section 12

This I Believe: Being Judgmental

I like to believe we live in a world where we are all one in the same. We do not act a certain way in the presence of peers nor do we think twice about changing ourselves for the sake of thinking someone is going to say something about the way we are. But alas, we do not. There are judgmental people everywhere we look. Is it judgmental for me to make such a statement? I believe not. It is really very factual if you ask me. Not a day goes by that someone is not being judged. If it is not for their skin color, then it is their sexuality. If it is not that then it is something as silly as the clothes on their back. What if that is the only clothes they could afford? Who are we to pass such judgement on individuals we know nothing about? We must change this evil perspective we have grown accustomed to. We must no longer accept the judgement placed upon us and our fellow human beings. We must start to accept ourselves, love ourselves, and know ourselves. We must train ourselves not to automatically think negatively about something we do not prefer. Whether it be a classmate’s outfit, a neighbor’s lawn mowing job, or a friend’s haircut. We must live like there is no tomorrow and enjoy ourselves in this limited life we were given. Taking advantage of opportunities where judgement would be normally placed and replacing it with positive choices could lead to unexpected outcomes. Who knows, the person you believe has mismatched clothes may very well be your future best friend, roommate, or even lover. I believe in letting things roll of my tongue like water off a duck’s back so when I see something I like in a person, the judgement I place on them is positive and uplifting. My hope is that it encourages them with their day because they could just as easily been having a bad day before my compliments. That is the kind of judgement I believe we should pass. This I believe.