Please take a moment to read this and find out how you can help by contacting the address below.
My name is Shannon Seeger, I am 18 years old and a graduating
senior at Colony High School in Palmer, Alaska. My reason for writing
you is the concern of many issues in today's high school society. I
am sure you are aware of the many issues: teen sex; along with pregnancy, teen
depression; along with suicide, drugs affecting teens; along with the number one
death toll, vehicle accidents. My hope and dream is that we can help
keep these issues from going that far. From my personal experience as
a student in high school, my dream is to see everyone getting along, or at least
helping each other, or knowing that it does not really matter what you appear to
be, but who you are and that you are willing to help your worst enemy. It
amazes me what it takes sometimes to open a persons heart, or mind and help them
think, just a little. That person you never liked because of what
they had or didn't have may not be breathing on this earth in five minutes. Why
does it have to go that far? Why does it take so much to open our
eyes, to make us change? That is why I am writing you. My
vision of us as one is a goal and hopefully soon, reality. We can see
a person eye to eye and may not understand, because everyday is I to I. Or
sometimes it can be
completely mixed around like I to eye, my point is that I need your help to make
this possible. My reason for believing that it will work is because I
know that we all needed it or need it at some point in our life.
EYE 2 EYE, A Big Dream, A Small Goal
Lying down in my bedroom it is 3:21. As I count the minute, I realize
that time has got the best of me. It is now 3:22, I am counting to
ten six times until the clock turns to 3:33. "During a minute so
much can happen," I tell myself silently. After counting the
last minute I thought to myself, "someone was counting down with me." Maybe
it was the last minute of their life. Also, that person with AIDS, or
the baby not yet born and killed by abortion compliments of the 12 year old who
could not have her child because she could not handle raising this child through
a father who had raped her. Possibly a bombing in another country
that killed a thousand people, which we won't yet know about until the 10
o'clock news hour. Or what about the
teenager who died of manic depression, or a car accident, drug abuse, or
domestic violence.
Realizing what has gotten the best of me is just
three minutes of my time and the knowledge that time can do so much. "When
will it stop, when will some one help these people, and not take it for
granted?" I asked
myself. A dream invades my mind and I see people, but not
just any one. It's teens, a thousand of them, holding each others
hand, as if they were united no matter what the problem. I was amazed
at the thought and realized if time can do the damage that could cause a
thousand lives in a few minutes, then my time can make this time happen. This
dream, this vision of us helping one another.
"But how?" I question as the
thought haunts me. "How can I help someone if I can't even help
myself," still recovering from an "accidental overdose" which
nearly killed me. I approach this thought into
consideration and let a few days pass me by, and every day for some coincidental
reason the clock would catch my eye at 3:21, every day. I don't think
anyone could have taken that lightly. The thought of people who are
teenagers and willing to help their peers, especially in today's society seemed
absolutely ridiculous. "Were hurting and killing each
other," I said to myself as the Columbine incident flashed in my memory.
PEOPLE NEED PEOPLE, AND TEENAGERS NEED TEENAGERS. I
let this thought get to me for a few days as I was trying to come up with a
simple solution to the problem of those few minutes that would still haunt me
every now and then. "Teenagers need teenagers?" I thought. That's
it, that is what it is. Teens understand teens and we need something
in all high schools across America to help this issue. We see and
understand each other eye to eye.
"Wow, how will I do this on my own, this
vision is just one person trying to reach a million people, I'm not even strong
enough to help my own situations." But if we had each other it
would be better. Criticizing
myself for days was not making it any easier. I would try and
convince myself that I am dreaming way to big, and there is no way I could ever
do this. I don't have the motivation, the proper training, the time,
anything
it needed, I did not have it.
Finally realizing this was not going to help my
situation a bit with my low self image problem I stopped all criticism, and let
myself dream. I realized it was time to share my dream with someone
else. (Bad idea.)
"Your joking right, I mean no one is going to risk their reputation or
precious time for this, Eye to Eye thing, I mean think about it." Oh,
I did and I realized I needed to get rid of that dream crusher real quick like.
Eye 2 Eye, the title of this motivational program. I
say motivation because it takes a lot of it. I said to myself,
"I can do this." And I am.
I have committed to the long hard hours of trying to get this
started. I realize what I am risking and how hard it will be, but I
let that by pass my thoughts, and say to myself, "If all this does is save
one life, then that is enough." I know in my heart that
somewhere someone will need this, one of those people in my few minutes of
thinking from 3:21 to 3:33.
A lot of motivation, a big dream, and a small
goal. All it is, is a set of people who are willing to help their
peers in a tough situation they may be facing, and guide them through it the
whole way. So basically be
there. It's that small, but a huge impact.
Another idea has been to limit Eye 2 Eye and it be "The fight for life
against depression," and focus on teens with depression and suicide issues.
If you have any ideas or want to help please email: missak2000teen@hotmail.com