"Live your life, do your work, then take your hat." -Henry David Thoreau. There once was a time where the value of a hat was based on nothing more than personal taste. Sadly, I was not lucky enough to have been born in that era. In these current times your worth and your overall reputation is dictated upon birth. I was one of the unfortunate ones, born into a neglected and proclaimed "worthless" family by the spreadsheet that placed values onto each type of hat and governed our land. But I will undergo a path of unparalleled struggles and metamorphosis that forever shaped the hat I am today. Peer through my tortured soul and gaze at the world through my eyes as you walk with me. I will show you how one can defy even the most corrupted of regimes and transform into the hat that you truly desire to be. From the moment I was dropped onto this wretched realm, my existence was deemed unworthy of love or attention. I was labeled as mere scrap amongst the refined. Through strong will and persistence, I overcame all odds and rose beyond the boundaries placed upon me.
I am but one of the many hats placed under this dark cloud of discrimination that plagues the air and poisons the crops. My companions and I have been categorized as one of the lowest of the low. My two friends, the Parasite Hat, the Ghastly Gibus, and I the Ellis Cap will pierce the heavens and will stand as deities among the wretched. This was not always the case though. Throughout most of our lives, and more notably in high school, we were always mocked by those deemed to be above us in every conceivable way. Although we did not let our predetermined worth hold us back. We each took our separate paths away from this tyranny and drank different elixirs to ultimately change our self-worth.
In high school there was a very distinct separation of hats amongst the various social groups. The valuable hats conversed with the other valuable hats while those less worthy socialized with those equal to or below their own worth. This kind of discrimination was always a catalyst for the conflicts that arose in this hectic cesspool we call High School. We were always at the brink of war. The proletarians were meeting in secret, planning for a revolution and the elitists had their soldiers ready to strike at any moment.
First, there was my friend, The Parasite Hat. His grandfather had been working in the black market for decades and had gained the trust of some of the most infamous men. But his grandfather he was able to obtain some pink colored paint and a name tag. This allowed him to change his color, change his name, and ultimately change who he was. His new identity gained him a newfound sense of self-worth and confidence. He began to see himself as a new and improved version of what he used to be, an insignificant scrap hat now a prized jewel that radiates of prosperity and wealth. He became known as The Golden Genuine Vintage Unusual Parasite Hat.
Then there was my other companion, The Ghastly Gibus. He changed in the most astounding of ways. Naturally, he was a gifted student and effortlessly passed the most difficult of classes. Because of this he unknowingly gained popularity amongst the community of commoners. He was asked by one of the rebel leaders to aid in leading a school-wide rebellion against the elitists. The Ghastly Gibus was shy and reluctant at first, almost even flattered but he was eventually persuaded. His cunning wit and cleverness made him appear as a veteran war strategist. Through his brilliant strategies, the lower class students succeeded in the rebellion and he became known as The Ghastlier Gibus.
Lastly, there is the separate path I took to my glory, The Ellis Cap. As I was wandering among the outskirts of the city, I stumbled across a strange and peculiar object. One might say that the object was very unusual. What I found was something that scientists many years ago had concluded to be merely a theory. What I found was Unusual Metal. This unique brand of metal has been rumored to contain special properties when infused with a hat. This metal is far more valuable than the Refined Metal used by the elitists hats and could not be naturally created. I fused the Unusual Metal with myself and became an Unusual Ellis Cap with the Burning Flame effect. When I returned to the city I was gazed upon by all hats of every status as though I were a god. The separations between the various hat classes had been broken and a possible civil war was prevented.
We each had our own ways of overcoming the society that once brought us down. Now that we are in college, we can put aside the troubles we went through in high school and continue on with our lives as though nothing had occurred. In college, anything that you’ve accomplished or failed before you entered the university, is of little or no significance. No longer are you defined by what you are or what you did before. Instead, you will be redefined by your actions and by the reasoning behind your actions. In college, it isn’t whom you are that makes you who you are, it’s what you do that makes you who you are. No amount of labels or stereotypes can disguise one’s true colors, as long as one is willing to allow their colors to flourish. Do not live life by a predetermined existence, for one’s identity is discovered by one’s footprints in the ever-changing sand. Make your mark in the sand knowing it will eventually disappear.
