Compromising Our Values and Identities

A phenomenon is taking place in society today. Yet, no one else is talking about it. In fact, no one else seems to be concerned about it at all. However, the fact still remains. In the 1950's and earlier, it used to cause a pregnant unwed young woman and her family such shame that she would go away to have the baby in private before returning with or without the baby. Nowadays, young women proudly walk around displaying their fat bellies holding the hands of their lovers with no signs of distress or guilt upon their faces. Some young men and women are even planning to become parents before they become spouses. Call me old-fashioned, but that's just ludicrous.

Have we as a society forgotten about our values and virtues, or have we just conveniently thrown them away? No one's sure how it started, but slowly men and women in America have started to compromise their values and virtues. It used to be that a young woman was praised for remaining chaste until she was married. Now, society mocks, laughs at, and scolds such young women for not losing their virginities sooner. When we as a society started to compromise our values, we also started compromising our identities as well. Most people in today's society go along to get along and follow the bandwagon, without forming opinions of their own. What would happen if they didn't? America as a society compromises too much, and I'm tired of it.

It's time that America stopped compromising, started owning our identities, and upholding ourselves to certain standard of conduct and lifestyle. I've only compromised my identity and values a few times in my life, and those times were enough for me to learn not to do it again. Those experiences helped me learn to hold onto my values no matter what, and to never lose myself in search of a person, relationship, or friendship again. Compromising your identity and values for others won't be worth it in the end, and always leads to negative emotions. I made a decision a long time ago regarding compromise. I've seen it debilitating effects on society, and have decided to stay true to myself. I've decided to honor my convictions, beliefs, values, morals, and identity regardless of how different they are from the rest of society's. If only the rest of America felt the same way I do.



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