“I’m kind, I’m smart, I’m funny, I’m loving, I’m passionate. I’m Cassandra Perkins, and I love myself.” No, this is not a video or a blog post to tell you all about somebody who has high self-esteem so that you feel even worse about yourself. This is not a post to talk about how everything in Cassandra Perkins’ life is going perfectly and so can everything in your life. This is not a post that is going to tell you that the world is actually less complicated and less challenging than it actually is. This is a post to tell you, to remind you, “No matter what you are going through in your life, you have a voice. And you are important.”
The world may not be perfect and you may feel hopeless at times, but you are not alone and things will get better… but you have to use your voice.
In a speech by Cassandra Perkins, we learn about the value in a voice. Your voice is your own. It is your own personal projection of your opinions, of your thoughts, of your emotions. It is the way in which you inform the world about the struggles, the achievements, the good things and the bad things you go through. By using your voice, you are able to express yourself to the world in a way that only you can do.
Perkins talks with the audience about the importance of using your voice by first telling the audience that she knows what it is like to be depressed. She knows the deep, dark despair found in feeling hopeless. Once a person who thought of herself as kind, smart, funny and loving, Perkins slipped into a depression during middle school. “I went through very severe bullying. I became very depressed and very suicidal and actually attempted suicide.”
While Perkins was in the lowest point of her life, she began to question herself and her identity. She began to question her ability to speak, to be happy, and even to live. But she was rescued by kindness when she befriended a boy named Chandler. Perkins and her friend became close during the time in which Perkins was depressed, and so when Chandler came to Perkins and told her that he was planning to end his life, Perkins acted. She used her voice. Despite feeling hopeless, despite feeling as if she was not valuable, and despite feeling like she “didn’t want to live on this planet anymore,” Perkins felt a connection with her friend Chandler. So she spoke up.
Perkins got the police, the boy’s parents, and the principal involved. She used her voice to save his life, even though it meant he ended up in the hospital and was angry with her for six months. She knew she had to use her voice or she would end up losing the life of a dear friend… and six months later, he thanked her for saving his life.
The point here is that Chandler was not strong enough to use his voice, so Perkins used hers for him. He was strong enough to tell Perkins of his suicidal thoughts, but not strong enough to ask for help outright. By using her voice, Perkins saved his life. She wants people to realize that, “No matter what you are going through, you have a voice and you are important.” Using her voice to echo Chandler’s cry for help prevented him from committing suicide that night, but later on she was not there to save him. Thus, the importance of using your voice is highlighted again. It could save your life or even the life of a friend.
“There is a light at the end of that tunnel. My tunnel was black, and so was Chandler’s. But no matter what you are going through in your life, you are a voice and you are important.” Use your voice. It is the only thing that is uniquely yours. It could save your life. It could save the life of a friend. Either way, when you’re feeling helpless you need to use your voice. That is the only way anybody will ever know you need help, that you need support. It’s okay to need that, it’s not okay to not voice your need.
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