"Brushing It Off"

by Angelina Josèlee Gonzalo

Negative comments can be an incentive - you can acquire strength . For example , he said she was crazy while the soft soothing jazz band played . All said . It all started on a spring afternoon , both friends shallow Tom and  optimist Jan met up at the musical cafe ,The Walters , a place where a jazz band plays daily. This wasn't an ordinary day ,the manager at Walters ,decided that the  audience can reflect out loud on the music that was playing by the current band ,of course ,it was upon the customers discretion .  Everyone in the room was quite reluctant of the option ,but not Jan .Suddenly , a lyric from the musicians , impacts  the soul of Jan ,she volunteerarly gets up and eagerly expresses how those notes made her feel . She became upfront about her emotions . Everyone was in shock that someone actually took the intiative to just describe their feelings , in which it can be a time when someone is the most vulnerable . And surprisingly , the person that was suppose to support her did not ,he actually judged and made a repulsive comment . Pretentious Tom ,called Jan "crazy " while she took the mike . It didn't stop her from completing her thoughts on stage ,but two minutes later ,it stayed with her . Jan storms out. Tom walked right out ,just to not be seen alone . He approaches her as if nothing was said ; he states it again " you were crazy to have gone up" . Jan looks at him with an offended face and just walks away. It's no surprise that Tom is wondering why. The characterization of "crazy" might have seemed harmless , but it actually carried a certain implication that disproportionly impacted Jan .Implying that statement was quite alarming and strenuous - now walking home all she could think about was that lingering word . Her phone rings and  that's all she could hear was another person define her as the mortifying trait. How could she possibly deviate herself from that heartless word ? One alternative came to mind .She decides to take a different route home that hasn't been taken in a while . Jan turns the corner and there it is ,the lavender garden that she once or twice used to pass by mid-afternoon during high school . This was the the only determinant that would calm the comments Tom just blurted out . Although ,he would have thought it was an irrelevant approach to take ,she did it anyway . His harsh innuendo was hurtful but the music that she just heard conbinded with the lavender senses were the most exhilarating emotion anyone can feel ; especially if one was just attacked with comments with malicious intentions .However , passing by that garden again was a wonderful feeling : she said . She felt as if she was flying - as if she was the only one on earth . Maybe she enjoyed the garden because it made her feel like she was the only one capable to hear her own emotion . Maybe she was just challenging her cognition. Maybe it was both. Perhaps  for the best . Most importantly , his words didn't change how she perceived things . 

After all was said : in using the delineation of "crazy " she was immediately cast as overly -emotional , irrational , and wrong . Apparently ,Her only true fault , was that she didn't agree with Tom and wasn't a condor of his actions and his beliefs .His word to manipulate perception and confuse Jan into thinking that her behavior is so off base and unwarranted ,was just a front to hide his own insecurities .  His perception was severly manipulated but not permantely impacted ! 

Why is it that so many people use the idea to call someone "crazy"  those who are different or those who don't have the same concepts as them . It's the worst thing to call someone "crazy ". It's dismissive . And since Tom didnt understand where she was coming from he called her crazy . That's BS . Jans actions did not define the term . She's a strong person. Defining someone as crazy sometimes translates as misleading -as to  this scenario .