College Living Magazine

If You Got the Poison I Got the Remedy*

   

    To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit organization based in Florida that serves as a medium to those who struggle with addiction, depression, self injury and thoughts of suicide. TWLOHA encourages people to speak freely about the issues they are battling, seek help for their treatable conditions, and encourage people to turn to God. TWLOHA serves as a medium to help bridge the gap among the rehab facilitations and the lives of those who seek help at places such as concerts, social networking sites, and at various universities. If I were to write love on the world’s arms I would write “Follow follow get lost.” “Follow follow get lost” means that when you follow other people you will begin to lose yourself. Being a follower is a disease because if you follow others who may have toxic behaviors you will more than likely start to pick up those same toxic behaviors yourself. When you follow rather than lead you start to lose who you are and become a number in a sea of numbers rather than an individual with your own name, a self identity. When you change who you are just too “fit in” it can become a toxic cycle that can be hard to escape out of without a lot of damage being done to not only yourself but to all around you. Your goal is to be a fiercely independent individual and think for yourself. If you compromise your morals and values you are not being true to who you are but rather conforming and giving into negative peer pressure. I personally have never had one self defining moment that showcased my fiercely independent nature but rather have proved too myself over the years that I am a truly independent individual. Instead of going out every weekend and getting wasted like some of my classmates I would spend my free time giving back to my community or working on my academics bettering myself. I was rewarded with awards, leadership positions and scholarships for my commitment to giving back to my community and strived on improving my intellectual acumen. However, the best reward I have received is the warm feeling that overtakes your body when you know you are doing something right like giving back and staying true to who you are. We all must realize that most people give up their power by thinking they don’t have any when in fact their power lies in their individualism. It’s key to remember that when you make better choices in life you will have a better self image about yourself which hopefully leads to better lifestyle changes. When you do good things for other people because you want to, not because you have too you get rewarded in multiple ways; not only do you feel good for upholding your morals and values but you also are earning good karma at the same time. If you would like to learn more about TWLOHA follow them on Tumblr and follow them on Twitter. Also while you’re on Twitter don’t forget to follow the official College Living account. 

 *The title of this article is lyrics from “The Remedy” by Jason Mraz