Red and blue lights flashing behind me, I pull over and roll down the window to see the scariest looking cop, staring straight into my eyes. This guy was 6’2, worked out at least 12 hours a day, and ate pure protein powder for breakfast. It’s 10 p.m on a Saturday, and he’s approaching the passenger side of my car.
“You know why I pulled you over?” the cop asks.
I knew it. First date, and it was already going bad due to the chemical burn on my face while frantically getting ready, greasy hair as a result of a failed hair oil experiment, and now, to tie it all together, I was getting pulled over for the first time. Thoughts raced through my mind as my sweaty hands gripped the steering wheel. I thought of all the reasons it could have been: speeding, lights out, not using my blinker.
“You were impeding traffic by going five miles below the speed limit,” was his reply. After a verbal warning, I started the engine and drove back onto the highway.
That made the top 10 most embarrassing moments of my life quite easily because an already stressful situation was made worse by happening in front of someone I liked but didn’t know well. It added a whole new layer of embarrassment. After, I pulled away swearing I would never drive anyone anywhere again, but of course I went out on another date the next week, me behind the wheel. Now, whenever the subject is brought up, both of us laugh at the memory and joke around at why I got pulled over in the first place. By laughing instead of remaining humiliated, I was able to move on from the embarrassment quickly and show no matter how embarrassing something is, instead of sulking and wallowing in self-pity, finding humor is the best way to get past it.
Throughout high school, moments like these pop up constantly. Opportunities for humiliation by participating in air guitar in front of the entire student body, taking the risk of trying out for a sport with no experience, creating the chance of a relationship by asking someone out. Human life is full of experiences that could end in public embarrassment, but by participating in these we experience the most opportunity for growth. What seems to be impossible can turn actually end in friendships, character development, or life lessons that couldn’t be replicated through anything else.
A psychological study at Clark University found that kids in recent generations are taking less risks due to the influx of technology use and social media. Children are spending more time looking at screens instead of expanding themselves to the outdoors and using the time they have to take a chance whether physically, mentally, or emotionally.
The fear of doing something that could end in embarrassment has grown as society negatively stereotypes those who put themselves out there. As a whole, teenagers are brought down with the fear of doing something wrong in front of a large crowd. In order to stop this pattern from worsening, we need to break out of it by doing risky activities. Instead of spending the night watching a movie alone, go out with friends and run around making a ruckus, ask someone on a date to go catch frogs, whatever comes to mind that may seem socially unacceptable to participate in. It is what makes high school a valuable experience, learning the consequences of doing reckless actions at a young age lessens temptation to go off and do something uncanny in the future. Taking risks doesn’t end half bad at all.
The night of our first date, after driving off, when we were going our separate ways and I was ready for the awkward conversation of, “Yea, I don’t really think this is going to work out” or “You’re a bad driver, bye!” Instead, as we parted, he turned around and stated, “We should do this again.”
In the end, if the risk of a broken heart is worth the happiness of a few months, or being publicly embarrassed for a few hours ends with more friends than before, it’s worth it. There is always something to learn.
