Feeling annoyed with pretty much everyone, and mostly myself. My mind spews criticisms of others: She's too self-righteous, he's abrasive, she's a pushy diva, he's oblivious, she's attention-seeking, he's Mr. Awesome Granola Man, she's so pretty (and I'm jealous), he's condemned already to lying and mediocrity and scarcely anyone's thinking of how to help, she (and she and she) is cold and clipped, he's too smart to smoke, they fell in love too fast. Argh!
And another thing: diversity is celebrated in such a manner that people like Lauren get heaps of admiration and attention simply because they happen to have been born in the most interesting and different country from vollie knowledge (in her case, South Africa). Okay. Awesome--truly. I'm quite eager to learn about that culture as well as that of the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Canada. But . . . I feel discounted because I'm common. I oppress and force. I control and dominate. I'm tiresome and weak. But I'm not unique. No, just one of the scores of American volunteers, provoking jests and snide remarks by virtue of their place of birth.
I'd so much rather celebrate a person for who they are, which is naturally infused with cultural influences. Lauren: compassionate, brash, creative, having a percussive personality, telling the truth baldly and unapologetically. A true friend.
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