Hidden People | Sophia Pugel (9)

Some people are ignored everyday, and it makes them feel like they don’t belong here anymore. People's actions make them feel like this and later cause the friends of the people like they failed as a friend. You see, people don’t realize when they make someone feel like this. It all starts with a small look all the way to something you said in class. This single action then starts a domino effect of people feeling like they don’t belong. 5-6 teens commit suicide everyday because of these actions. People feel the need to hide behind a mask for society to accept them. This is where the theme “Illusion” comes into play. People hide behind a mask and continuously say that they’re ok and that nothing is wrong. You may think that people talking about suicide and how to prevent it is boring, but it isn’t. It’s important to know that it isn’t ok to just pass off suicide like it is a normal everyday thing. This isn’t an everyday thing! You don’t realize that until your friend or family member tries to take their own life. They feel like they can’t get help because people won’t understand them or go against them. It is important to stay close to these people and make sure that they don’t slip the mask of illusion on. When this mask comes on, both of your worlds get turned upside down while someone is literally going to die. I needed to say this because I know too many people who want to take their own life because of people making them feel like they don’t belong. This topic desperately needs to be addressed because kids act like it's ok to take your own life, and teachers make it feel like you have to sacrifice everything for these people. But you don’t need to sacrifice everything, you need to make sure they feel seen and that they don’t slip that mask on. This topic desperately needed to be addressed by a teen who has actually experienced this experience and have everyone know that it isn’t ok to think suicide is normal.