Dear Tough Guy,
You may think that you are some hot stuff because you walk around with a scar on your arm that has a story to go with it. You will immediately regret it as soon as it is done. Although some of your friends will think you are stronger or tougher than they did before, it does not matter. You my friend are very stupid. However, here are some tips to help you take your mind off doing it so your arm will be scar free for the rest of your life.
First, these are tips based solely on prevention of this stupid act. The first thing that needs to get hit into your mind is the fact that you do not have to do this. There is no obligation for anyone in the world to burn their arm because someone says it is the only way to prove that you are not a “bad word”. The best thing to do is ignore what they are saying even though you know you can take the pain. You must be forewarned that the pain is not going to be the problem. The real problem is going to be that ugly scar that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
You have always been an independent thinker and leader. Why give into something that you know you already are. Put the lighter down, and tell those who doubt you that if they still think you are a weak person, then fight about it. You have to be smart and block out those who want to bring you down to their level. They are not worth hurting yourself, even though you know you can take the pain. In the end, it is all about your brothers and how they perceive you. They look up to you and look at everything that happens around you. When they see you hurt, it scares them because they think of you as untouchable, and then they think that they have to depend on themselves the way you do! Be smart and keep their trust by being a good example and not hurting yourself because of what your so called “friends” say.
Lastly, put yourself around people who will encourage you to make the right decisions, and do not tell you to do stupid things. You must place yourself with people that enlighten you and make you a better person just by being around them. In the end, it will all pay off and you will not have to try and explain to your parents why your arm is like that.
Sincerely, Dylan J. Kizy
This is a very good letter. You included the different parts of your life that making this mistake would affect. It would affect your friends, brothers, and parents. It is hard to tell who your true friends are and who are not. If you have friends that are making you feel obligated to do something that will hurt you or that you do not feel is right then they are not true friends. I like the part when you explained about how your brothers look up to you. I think this is an important part of your letter because brothers are something so close to the heart. Having that part in there would show younger Dylan how important the advice is that you are giving him.
ReplyDeleteFirst, why in the world did you burn your arm to begin with? I have sooo many scars, none of which I caused on purpose.Most of them i didn't cause at all. I don't think I could have wrote this any differently because I don't really know the situation. I think that what you say in your letter is true, you shouldn't do what other people say.Friends come and go but scars stay forever!
ReplyDeleteWell i gotta say that every scar has a story, and this one is not exactly the best to tell. Doing something to try prove a point is one thing, but hurting yourself in the process is not a good idea. I know there are a lot of details that are missing from the story, but overall I have only one thing to say. That is that even though friends tell you to do something, always make sure you know what your getting into beforehand. You have already given good advice to yourself and you realize it was a big mistake, and that is probably the best lesson you can take out of what happened.
ReplyDeleteI think Dylan did a good job in describing to his younger self what to do to avoid situations like this. Along with telling his younger self that this was an incredibly stupid thing to do, he also subtly tells his younger self to pick his friends more carefully (or at least something along those lines). For the most part, I think this is good advice that could also be used in other situations. Finally, I do think this will somewhat help in remedying this situation.
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