Being Naïve Can Be Your Downfall

I believe that being naïve in this world can be the downfall of the best of relationships in your lifetime. I know, for a fact, that I am inexperienced in the cruelties of this world. The closest I’ve come to experiencing a war is within the dry pages of a textbook, and the only kind of weapon I’ve been within five feet of was shielded by a transparent window. Yes, seeing the shoes of all the Holocaust victims lined up in a row touches my heart, as it would any other person, but the massacre seems centuries ago to my young eyes. There is but one problem with my naïveté: it also relates to commonplace wrongdoings, such as drinking, substance abuse, stealing, etc.

Stories, passed down from my mother and half-siblings to me, have left me awestruck and terrified at these horrid values. I know the tragedies that my family has gone through, and I can not, will not, have anyone around me repeating that sad history. My half-siblings, the ones that I love with all my heart and soul, had an alcoholic and consequently abusive biological father. It’s not my place to tell these stories, but I beseech those that hear this to understand the loathing I have for the face I’ve only seen in one faded picture of my mother’s first wedding day. I also want them to understand how extremely proud I am of my mother for her common sense, her unbreakable will, and for her incredible intelligence, despite the fact that she didn’t have the opportunity to go to college because of monetary situations.

Because of this, I am unforgiving to my peers if I catch wind of them doing these acts which I deem as morally unsound, perhaps because of my naïve and immature outlook, or perhaps because my family has been hurt because of them. My heart aches because I can clearly see the destructive picture in my mind of what their future could hold if this all continues, because I believe that if they can drink now, comfortably, with the knowledge that it is against the law, then what is going to prohibit them from going over their limit when they have the permission of the government?

This has caused many a conflict between my friends and I, me being merciless and my peers frantically trying to defend themselves. I have yelled, demanded answers, and even shed tears over the subject; sometimes because I can’t come up with any other proof besides the repetitive words of “I’m right, I know I am”.

But through the haze of hate and values hammered into me both by teaching and by those stories from my family that seem so far away and yet so close to my heart, one word has become clear: empathy. I know how I’ve grown up, and I know the lessons that I’ve learned. However, I realize that maybe other people have different ideals, and something else that they are passionate in. Relationships are doors that you can choose to open, if you so please. Should I condemn those around me for just one flaw?

I cannot hold everyone to my rigorous moral code, however much I would love to do so. However, I can perhaps empathize with their ideals, while holding steadfast to my own. Relationships, whether it is with a teacher, a friend, and God forbid, a member of the opposite sex, can help build a person psychologically, and perhaps teach a lesson. I know my relationship with my teacher has produced fruitful results, and I know I can’t shut down every person that doesn’t think with my frame of mind. Although I believe in the good in the world, I understand that my close-minded innocence can be the opposite of beneficial to me in the future: an open mind is also a growing one.