So why did I choose this topic? Well, I was just reading about it in my schoolwork and I just can't seem to shake it off my mind. I must say that I am not an expert in Peer Pressure, for I have not had to deal with it widely considering that I have not gone to public school, or have a job around a bunch of different people with different beliefs. But nonetheless I have experienced it.
I remember just a few weeks ago my friends from youth group were going to a corn maze. Now my family does not celebrate Halloween by any means. We don't carve pumpkins, trick or treat, dress up, or watch scary movies. But we have gone to corn mazes because that's different, it's a celebration of our local farmers crops, it's something that the nearby citys should be proud of and it's our duty to support our local farms since there is not many of them these days. Anyhow, like I was saying, we were going to a corn maze...
"Alright, those who want to go through the regular maze and not the haunted need to raise there hand" My youth pastor stated.
I looked to those around me. A bunch of the middle schoolers that so happened to be joining us high schoolers raised their hand. What to do..... It can't be that bad right? It will probably just be a bunch of mechanical stuff that is supposed to be scary.... I could go through the regular one, but it's all middle schoolers. I don't want to look like a baby....
"Anybody else want to go through the regular corn maze?" He asked one last time
I kept my hands in my pocket to keep from fidgeting, I hope I'm doing the right thing....
-Everyone got divided into small group of 3 to 5 people-
"Ok everybody, get into the car of your assigned leader and then we'll head to Sauvey Island."
"Whoooo!" A cheer came from the group.
I got into the car and sat nervously. Each mile that we came closer to the place the more I became worrisome.
Upon arriving we got in line together. After purchasing our tickets we joined an even bigger line since they made sure that each group had some distance between that way you were for sure surprised and couldn't see what happened ahead.
I was nervous and so I started making jokes with my friend Jasmine to calm my fears. As we got up closer to the entrance I felt more and more jittery. My hands were shaky and my palms sweaty.
Then we saw a little girl come out of the entrance. She must have been only 10 and was sobbing. I felt bad for her, where were her parents? I had little time to worry about it for the employee at the entrance began to state the rules. She said that we were not allowed to touch any of the people, things, or corn. The rule for the people working to scare us was that they could come no closer than two inches to us.
After many other rules we got ushered in. I don't remember everything very vividly, but I know that I was frightened before we had even begun. I remember seeing this shack that was supposed to be a butchers shop and walking through it (it was part of the path through the maze) and the first thing I heard was this loud banging. It's was like when a aluminum baseball bat hits metal, only ten times worse. And that's when I met the butcher.... A 6 foot 2, caucasion, approx. 250-300 lbs. He was as gnarly as his metal club that he was pounding on the table. He invited people to come lay on his table (it was part of his act), and of course, he could somehow sense my fear and followed us for several feet. At that point tears had begun to form but had not fallen. We continued walking.
I guess I hadn't gotten the memo that these people were trained to go after girls since they scream and all. They didn't have the nerve to bother the guys.
Some people came out of bushes and were horrifically costumed. They too latched onto my fear and decided to pester me. I was so freaked out that all I could do was cover my face with my hands and hope they'd go away. But what did me in was the guy with the chainsaw. He was swinging it near peoples heads, and although there was no chain on it, the trauma that I had experienced up to that point caused me to break. I was sobbing and trying to get away from the guy who happened to find it entertaining and was chasing my group. Finally I stopped trying to run and just stood with my face in my hands. And the guy still wouldn't leave us alone! Finally my friends Jasmine looked at the guy and said if he didn't leave she'd slap him. Somehow he got the picture that it wasn't a joke anymore.
My group, which included Jasmine, Luke, and my youth pastor Loren, asked me if I wanted to leave the maze. I said no, nobody else was out of the maize and so I would be standing alone and then my group would feel bad, that was my reasoning for staying in. That and I wasn't going to let this defeat me.
And so for the rest of the way I walked through the maze with Luke in front, Loren behind, and Jasmine next to me holding my hand (yes, I am that much of a baby!). I survived as you can see since I wrote this post. But that night I vowed to myself that I would never do something stupid like that again just because my friends were doing it. That, and I went against my beliefs. I have never been so shooken before by not only how I gave into peer pressure, but how I threw out my beliefs of halloween being bad as well. I disregarded everything that I had been taught it seemed. And I didn't like it. I felt ashamed that I allowed myself to do something that I knew was wrong.
So now I am a bit more aware of peer pressure than I was before that day, and I am sharing my shameful experience with you so that perhaps you can be more aware as well. I am thankful though that I experienced it with something as little as this considering that there are so many terrible traps to fall into that lead to addictions and such. It's important that I learn some of these life lessons so that when I am going to college and working I will Lord willing not fall into the real traps that can lead to disaster.
Sometimes it takes me to make mistakes in order to learn something, I wish I could say I was perfect, but let me tell you, I am far from it. I am thankful though that God can use my mistakes to make me a better person, to grow closer toward him, and to maybe inform others of what to be careful of.
Have a blessed week,
Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought of using this article for your journalism class? With a pinch of editing to make it "school appropriate", it sounds like a very good article for your column.