F*ck Taking the High Road

LIFESTYLE F*CK

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

How being petty protects your peace

Written by Maddie Gamble, Lifestyle Staff Writer Photographed by Ben Yeiser, Staff Photographer Modeled by Megan Cartier Makeup and Styling by Maddie Gamble, Lifestyle Staff Writer

My mom always used to tell me to take the high road and to be the bigger person. If someone spreads rumors about you, kill them with kindness. If a boy breaks your heart, don’t break his.

If your brother gives you a hard time, laugh it off.

But where has that gotten me? Heartbroken, sad and angry.

Sacrificing your peace on the account of others often doesn’t allow you to feel what you need to feel. It doesn’t allow you to protect your peace.

Taking the high road requires us to bury how we truly feel — to hold it all in. Holding in our emotions takes a toll on mental health, because taking the high road means internalizing our fiery energy. We deserve to let our emotions out — to get closure, to stand up for ourselves and to express our anger. We deserve to put ourselves first.

It’s okay to get even. It’s okay to want revenge. It’s okay to be petty. These desires are often seen as poisonous by society, but why? They allow us to release our feelings and are healthy, normal responses. We shouldn’t suppress them.

Anger supplies us with a plethora of positive releases. The emotion acts as a discharge that results in calm, allowing us to release stress. Anger protects our personal feelings, and provides us with a sense of control. It allows us to feel in charge of our experience. It allows us to be heard.1

Think breakup songs. Not the sappy, sad ones, but the ones that make you want to go key your ex-partner’s car. Taylor Swift is my go-to artist when it comes to a good revenge song. She’s been known to write about all her breakups, even after saying she wouldn’t. Some might see this as an invasion of privacy, but it takes two to have a relationship.

When it comes to discussing past significant others, you have the right to share your truth — it’s your story too. Why gloss over your narrative to preserve their image? Sometimes it’s okay to tell it how it is. Don’t leave out the ugly parts for their sake. Slander their name. Ruin their reputation. Let them know how they made you feel isn’t okay.

1 B.M. Ratson, “The Value of Anger: 16 Reasons it’s good to get angry,” GoodTherapy, March 13, 2017. Friendships are also hard. Fallouts happen and people grow apart — it’s natural. But there’s also cases of plain and simple betrayal. This is a situation where being the bigger person is preached as a kid. We are taught to swallow our words and simply take the pain. Why is standing up for ourselves seen as a negative thing?

We deserve to feel it all — the good, the bad and the ugly. Wanting revenge is healthy. Petty behavior is normal. Being a good person isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Our actions don’t always have to be rational. Sometimes it’s okay to say f*ck taking the high road and let your emotions take control. ■

Wanting revenge is healthy. Petty behavior is normal.