perspective

I think one of the things I grew up on was the principle of "bad things happen to bad people." karma, crime and punishment, basic stuff. and it's perfectly true- I wasn't allowed to go to the park for a week after I broke mom's vase, my sister always got caught when she put fake bugs in my shoes.

bad things happening to good people, though, that was a concept I was unfamiliar with until I was older. sure, I could go the cliché route and talk about how I never did anything bad (which would be a lie) and bad things happened to me anyway (which is a bigger lie). but honestly, I've led a pretty comfortable existence. sure, my family has some money problems, and I haven't had a boyfriend since 7th grade, but I'm a teenager living in New York City with amazing friends and no curfew. it's all some people could ask for, and I try to remind myself of that.

but you hear things about tsunamis and earthquakes and suddenly, your life is just blissful. hear about hurricanes and missing people and tortured innocents, and complaining about not getting an iPod and a laptop is stupid.

but that's how I grew up, where I got what I wanted and people who were naughty didn't. it may have been my undoing, because now all I can do is sit around all day and wonder what could all of those people possibly have done and come up with the answer nothing at all.