When I was young, I looked at things as black and white. Gray didn't exist in my world. I had never been taught that good people could learn from their transgressions, or that they made mistakes at all.
Disney didn't help in that field either. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White were the pinnacles of purity, the paragons of perfection.
School became my first glimpse into the duality of man, when my world view was turned upside down. We had classes about morality, read books about ethics, and eagerly watched short films about righteousness.
A common vein ran through all these stories: the characteristics of righteousness and integrity were rewarded. That was why I used to run home to tell my parents about all the "good" things I did: not because I was trying to develop my character, but because I wanted ice cream after dinner or a pat on the back. I don't blame my former self; after all, I was only four.
But the real problem is when this mentality persists as we grow up. Not transgressing because one is afraid of the consequences doesn't make him or her a good person.
What makes people honorable is the approach they take to their lives. It is doing what you think is right because you truly want to be a better person. Although I started out as any selfish four-year-old would, I've come to realize what it means to be a better person, and after everything, the satisfaction of knowing I am who I want to be is the most valuable reward I can hope for.
As a high school student, I still haven't gotten tired of the princesses or the dragons or the overoptimistically simplistic character traits, but I do understand now that the representation of morality in those contexts are slightly skewed, and that gray is one of the most common colors we will see in people.
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