From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Finding the courage to be different is difficult.

By Yveka Pierre
Stranahan High

April 10 2008

Every after-school TV series has that episode on being "different."

In that half-hour span of time, the feature character comes to terms with being "not like the others." Some of these shows even have the character revel in how great his or her differences are.

In the real world, things work a bit differently.

We live in a time when Britney Spears' new haircut overshadows the war in Iraq in the news. Teenagers are faced with standards that many struggle to achieve.

They find themselves on the outside looking in, and those barriers are not broken in a 30-minute segment of time.

It is the hope of many to take that step and accept themselves for how great they are, despite how different they may be from the status quo.

That step, however, is a hard one to achieve.

Despite the fact that biology makes it almost impossible not to be different from the next human being, society makes it almost impossible to be OK with these differences.

If a woman does not like the nose she was born with, she goes in for surgery on her "deviated septum" and comes out with a brand-new one. If she wants thicker lips, voila, there they are, without even a hospital stay.

In a society where being different is something that almost merits a cure, finding the courage to do so is difficult.

Difference in physical appearance is just one of many hurdles teens must overcome. How we speak, how we learn, how we act, all might be different from one person to the next.

Being the only one in your class who does not speak English is not the greatest place in the world to be. It takes hard work and dedication to learn a new language.

Moving from a different city or a different country puts people in a position where they are on the outside looking in. No one looks forward to adjusting to a new language and a new culture. And they definitely do not look forward to the ridicule and pain that comes with it.

Being different is one of the most important parts of being human. If everyone were the same, it would be a Brave New World nightmare.

Some of the greatest people making the biggest differences are those who are able to break from the mold and embrace who they are.

To get to that place, they had to work hard. Being OK with being different is not an easy place to get to, but the rewards are monumental.