deep thoughts with jeri stein

In my sophomore year of high school, I started a column in my school's newspaper entitled Deep Thoughts with Jeri Stein, a name bestowed upon me by my journalism teacher (thank you, Mr. Peterson). Through writing that article, I learned the importance of saying the quiet part aloud.

Often in our lives, we become so self-consumed that we can't look outside ourselves and see others grappling with the same thoughts. Society has conditioned us to keep to ourselves, leading us to feel isolated, trapped on our own islands of silent struggle.

The more I continued to share my thoughts and feelings, the more I began to recognize the importance of talking about the things we are too scared to share. Oftentimes, I felt exposed, naked to the reader. By sharing my mind, I could no longer pretend to be stronger than I am. I am weak, I struggle with insecurity and mortality. I'm negative and cynical. I'm scared of the world and how it perceives me. 

Rather than feel judged by the reader, I felt understood. I was told time and time again that they felt the same way, and they couldn't believe that someone else felt that way too. And in that very moment, the thoughts that used to exclude me from the world became the one thing that connected me to it.

Strength doesn't come from silence; it comes from speaking in a world that expects it. My hope is to continue connecting by writing about the things people feel too scared to say aloud, in the anticipation that you, the reader, start speaking too. Because in a world in which isolation is a given, connect.