6 Things Rebecca Black Taught Me About Life

1. Life is an obligation.

You can clearly see from the moment Rebecca Black wakes up, that she feels like she must be a lot of things to other people. She gets out of bed and already she is already running a list of things that she must do to please other people.

7 a.m., waking up in the morning
Got to be fresh, got to go downstairs
Got to have my bowl, got to have cereal

Using “Got to” is considered slang for “have to” and usually connotes doing something out of obligation as opposed to I “want to”. It depicts a pretty sad image of a 13 year old girl who faces much pressure from her own home and from school.

2. Life is one big ticking clock.

Our life here on earth can be symbolized by the tick tick ticking of a clock. Everybody is in constant motion, trying to accomplish a whole lifetime in the span of 24 hours. This results in mornings that go by in a whirl, as people struggle to fit in their to-do lists.

Seeing everything, the time is going
Ticking on and on, everybody’s rushing

Modern technologies have also been crucial to making everything happen at the speed of light. Messages are transmitted in the touch of a button from as far as New Zealand to Zimbabwe. Pictures are videos are shared real time and almost no one is excused for not knowing what is happening in Israel. There is transparency in journalism and censorship no longer exists in internet media.  There is speed like never before. There is opportunity too. How you make use of these is up to you.

3. Friends Make Life Better. Always.

In an increasingly difficult world where you often feel trapped by obligations, pressure and uncertainty, friends or someone you can simply talk to is extremely important. Rebecca Black’s morning has been going by in a whirl of obligations and pressure but as soon as she sees her friends, she breaks into a smile and gives us the clue that everything is fine after all. The role of friends in a teenager’s life is monumental.

You will share most the firsts in your life with these people. More often than not, your core being and personality will be shaped in a big way by the people you hang with in High School. Research shows that hanging out with friends significantly reduces the stress of home and school and results in a well-balanced and healthier development of a teenager.

4. Life is full of choices.

All throughout your earthly journey, you will be faced with seemingly small decisions that have huge repercussions.  Your values and principles will be reflected by the small decisions you make and your future will depend greatly on the paths you choose to take.

Kicking in the front seat
Sitting in the back seat
Got to make my mind up
Which seat can I take?

Kicking in the front seat means taking your heart and leading it to where you want it to go. It is not so much an act of defiant rebellion but more of a guided leadership. Are you willing to be the navigator of your own soul or will you sit in the back seat and let faith or fate take care of you? It’s also a question of being an active player or passive spectator through the course of life. Some choose to boldly lead the way, while others are more content to surrender to the course of life, sit back and take in as much scenery along the way.

5. Life rewards you.

Partying, partying (yeah)
Partying, partying (yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Looking forward to the weekend.

A lot of people complain that life is not fair, that they are always getting thrown lemons and lemon peels even. But the truth is, life is fair. It is a simple case of getting what you deserve. For people like Rebecca Black who spend the whole week struggling with schoolwork, or handling pressure from home, Friday is their reward. Nothing speaks salvation from a dreary life of homework and lessons and the alarm clock ringing in your ear at 7:00am. To have a party waiting for you on the weekend is your greatest reward for toiling all week.

6. Life is full of blessings.

I got this, you got this
My friend is by my right
I got this, you got this

Here Rebecca Black illustrates how life actually surrounds us with many gifts if you would only open your eyes. If you looked to your immediate surroundings and count how many of these things make you happy, you will learn to be content. Sometimes life feels like one never ending acquisition of achievements, of clothes and of money. When will it end? It won’t. Man’s natural desire for more is never quenched. You must learn to understand the beauty of simple gifts and how you already are a rich man in more ways than one.

What has been bashed and called an insignificant and dumb song might actually have some semblance of wisdom. What looks shallow and superficial on the surface is usually worth scratching and even the fool on the street will have a thing or two to tell you about life. Whether you agree or not is up to you. But whatever, it’s Friday and I must go.

Mariana Fang Lin is all about technology, social media and fun, fun, fun. She a likes reading humorous eHarmony reviews on Fridays.