The Paradox of Progress

I once cried and sobbed to my dance teacher about how often I was called "weirdo" and "rebellious" and worst of all, "incapable and too laid back" as a child. I cannot look back at my childhood and adolescence and wish I were a kid again because for me, being a kid was fraught with confusion. I grew up in the heart of the bipolarity that some kids do where you experience love and acceptance until you show that you are different. That is when the labels come rushing in. I experienced this everywhere I went with barely any exceptions. At 14, I secretly decided to leave primarily because of this. At 23, I caught a plane and moved continents because I was tired of being forced to fit in, of labels, of being accused of things I didn't do, of being accepted and rejected by loved ones on a monthly basis and of seeing the pain in my mothers eyes as she did her best to create a wall around me to protect what she accepted as "unique". I was outspoken, often said it like it is, did not bow my head down if someone older did something blatantly wrong and in my Indian culture, faced the consequences of it all.

The teacher I cried and sobbed to, sent me a postcard once I moved with this quote on it. Although she no longer lives, her reminder always will.

I am still the weirdo and I continue to speak up to the best I can when I see power being abused. But every step I have taken, is an ongoing attempt to draw new lines. I don't always succeed, but this is the one thing I won't give up on.
To all kids in adult bodies who know what I am talking about, this is for you. You will lose relationships,
you may get hit in your professional endeavors, you will almost never lose some of you labels, authority figures may dread you, but always remember...society needs you to be bold, irrational, messy and original. Progress was never made by those who bow their head and conform. For a plant to grow, it must burst open through the cracks in the soil...and that is the paradox of progress.You may need to be wise and grown-up  about it, because even though adolescent rebellion was great , it not always productive.Don't lose yourself in the displeasure and judgment of others. Trust the process and draw new lines.