What If Everyone in the World Were Exactly Alike?

I believe it's important to accept people for who they are.

 

I started playing pool when I was 9 years old. In my childhood memory, there was a pool club near my house. One day, my father took me into the club, without saying a word. At that moment, I felt like the gate of a new world opened for me.

The circumstance was dark but quiet; several tables were settled there, with a lot of people playing. My father led me to the table, and passed a pool ball to me, and what he said to me, I will never forget: “Eric, do you want to be different?”

 
Then I put my full effort into playing pool. It takes the majority of my world. In my spare time, I always go to the table and play for hours. This habit made me a kind of “weird” person: the person only knows about pool!

 
At that time, no one could understand the reason why I kept playing pool. In their mind, children should play soccer and basketball, sweat a lot, rather than spending time in the room and hitting these silly balls into the silly pockets. It is not even called a “sport.” So far, they call me “ladyboy,” and they don't take me to any sports. Every time, I have to keep comforting myself: “it’s OK, they just don’t understand me.”

 
I might be different because I have different interests than other teenagers, but that doesn't give them the right to be so mean and cruel to me.

 

After I came to Stanstead, everything was different. I would like to thank Mr. Blais. He created the Pool Club, and I can feel that he also loves playing pool. Pool Club is a shield in my mind to protect the “tangible” habit. There are a lot of people in the club that know how to play pool,  and I really love it there.

 
Sometimes, I wish I was like everyone else, but not really. I believe people should be respected for being different,  because we're all different in our own ways. This, I believe.

 
Being different is good! It doesn't matter what or who you are...those who are different are those who change and shape the world!