The Futility Of High School Romance
Uploaded by Lorri-Ann on Oct 25, 2001
“And I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning striding behind you, or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; I will show you fear in a handful of dust”(The Waste Lands, INTERNET). When T.S. Eliot wrote that line, he wasn’t thinking of high school, but he could have been. Adults believe high school to be one of the happiest time in a person’s life, that all the fears they had were meaningless, and blown to the wind. However, to those how still attend, high schools are deserts, pain and loneliness just over the next dune, with students constantly searching for an oasis amongst the sand. Too many teenagers turn to the opposite sex to elevate themselves above that sandstorm.
Wandering around any high school, you can see them, the couples. They are “making out” against a locker, holding hands down the hall, or even screaming at each other across a crowded room. Quite a few of those “couples” are together simply for political reasons. Young men and women come together because they want to look “cool” in front of their friends. Often, they sacrifice their personal happiness to be “normal”. Another reason they come together is sheer loneliness. Ignored at home, lost in a sea of bodies that have their own lives, teenagers turn to one another in the hopes of elevating themselves from their disparity. Unfortunately, they’re only placing themselves in a situation where further heartbreak is inevitable. Some people may say they are together because they want to be, that if two people feel a certain way towards one another, they should act on that impulse and be together. However, as young adults, one cannot always tell what is real, or how they feel. It is far better to remain friends with that person, rather than open yourself totally to each other. That way, you can still be friends and enjoy one another’s company without getting hurt, and fighting.
Far too often, these young couples–knowing so little about each other, and less about themselves–get caught up in sexual activity. Peer pressure is the leading reason for such activities. “52% of respondents referred to "sex" and/or "boys" as major issues. No one racial or ethnic group provided this answer dramatically more than any other. Of all age groups, only 11-year-olds did not mention "pressure to have sex" as an issue at all.” (REPORT EXAMINES GIRLS'...