Brainwashing is the act of implanting ideas that normally would not be present in one’s mind. The teenage mind is susceptible to many distractions that can change the way we think. Brains of high schoolers everyday are fed different opinions and told to remember them as facts.

     What does mind manipulating even do? It creates a space for every opinion that is taught as ‘fact’ to live in your mind. These opinions sit there, and when combined with other attempts at brainwashing, they begin to fight inside your head, tearing apart what we all know of ourselves.

     This is not okay; why should we all be subjected to other individuals’ opinions as ‘facts’?

     Every day, I question the authority of individuals that really have no weight in my life, but I still let them take away from who I am. Being told to ‘buy in’ is a helpful term, when used in moderation. At this age, we are all told to think for ourselves and discover our personal identities and beliefs. 

     Yet, this is countered by being told to open your mind, but only to what a random adult that controls your life for three months wants your mind open to. This is where the roads meet; do we forge our own path and communicate in the presence of neglect, or do we stick to buying in and believing that everything is going to be okay?

     I do commend the other teenagers who are not affected by this mental game presented by buying in, because they notice the detrimental effects of ‘sticking with it.’

     Buying in means to see a future with a tactic and enabling the tactic to progress towards that future. But, the light of that future becomes dimmer, and when it dimmers, it gets harder and harder to keep cashing that buy in check. Why do we subject ourselves to these mental games year after year in high school? 

     It leads us to feed into an internal battle that places a heavy mental strain on ourselves.  This battle draws us closer away from who we were before being told to ‘buy in.’ You can find yourself wondering what your opinion even is about buying in, and you fight conflicting emotions. This is a way we all can get broken down, day after day of being told that the future is waiting for you, when it seems like it is never coming.

     Yes, I bought in, and for what? That’s what I’m not really sure about.