Student Blog: Being cool
My name is Amelia and I’m going to be talking about something a little different today.
Sorry, it’s not sport - I don't have an athletic vein in my body. And I’m not going to talk about what it means to be perfect, although it may be something a few of you would classify as perfect. I’m going to talk about what it means to be cool. Yes, cool! In with the trends. Popular. ‘Insta famous’ cool.
Now for basically my whole life, people have always told me, ‘Amelia your parents are way cooler than you.’ Or something along the lines of ‘I’m only coming back to yours if your parents are home.’ And whilst I consider myself a pretty cool chick, this is the sad reality. My parents are the coolest couple around. They are the fashion icons of the Northbridge, they are immensely popular. Mum even has more Instagram followers than me. And I guess this makes them pretty cool from an external viewpoint. But I think they’re cool for everything but the above reasons.
You see my parents are cool, because they are different and they don't care about all the things that make them cool. They are cool, because they are kind and loyal and generous at all hours of the day and to all people, even if they don't deserve it. Take my mum for example, she is possibly the kindest person you have ever met. She goes above and beyond for people, whether it be soup when someone’s sick or giving a favour, despite the fact that she’s the busiest person I know. And my Dad, he is generous beyond measure and he always drops whatever he is doing for me and his close mates. And the real cool thing about my parents, is that they are kind and generous to people, even those they don't know or who have shown them no reason to. Take my dad for example, he used to mow the lawn for our old neighbours every week and not once has she thanked him, but every week he persisted to do it. Even though sometimes it drives him kinda mad, he never asked for their thanks nor did he need it.
My parents don't need praise or thanks to do something good or give someone a compliment, and that’s pretty cool. So next time you’re trying to be cool, put down your phone, forget the stigmas and show a little bit of kindness to someone! The influence of social media truly scares me. The things I hear that people, not necessarily in this room, are doing or even reading is seriously uncool. It is so not cool to have a go at someone over text or to rate them, even if it is just a joke or a trend. It’s not that cool to hang out with someone and film every minute of the day, for the Snapchat. Cool people live in the moment. And I’m not saying social media is a bad thing, but sometimes it creates perceptions of the ideal person which prioritise popularity and appearance, but these things they take you nowhere and they’ll give you nothing back.
Kindness always gives a little. As Kath always says, ‘There’s something very uncool about trying to be cool!’ Just remember, don’t try to be cool and you mightier become a little bit cooler for it…
Thank you!
Amelia (Year 12)