Spring Break
The Daily OrangeAIDS activist tells story, preaches self love
By Heather Drost
Posted: 10/22/09, 2:59 AM EST Section: News
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He did that Wednesday night when he spoke to about 200 students in Schine Student Center on AIDS prevention, self-mutilation, drug and alcohol abuse and the importance of self-love.
As hard as it can be to share the intimate and admittedly scary details of life with strangers, Fried said he does it in an effort to save lives.
"I'm here because I want you to live," Fried told the audience.
Fried asked the audience to look into their own pockets and see what secrets they are keeping inside. Fried encouraged everyone to find someone who they love and who love them for who they really are, despite what they keep in their pockets.
"It was like an epiphany," said Ariana Reed, a sophomore biochemistry major. "He makes you realize we are not invincible."
Fried is the author of three books aimed at helping young adults. His third book, "The Private Midnight: A Teenagers Scrapbook of Secrets," is a collection of all the words teenagers carry around in their pockets everyday, too afraid to let them out.
"We all have the same things in our pockets," Fried said. "In one pocket we have a cell phone that lets us know we are not alone. In our other pocket we have our memories. Memories of what people have done to us and the memories of what we have chosen to do."
Fried said he remembers his first lecture at Herricks High School in New Hyde Park, N.Y. in May 1998. At the time, Fried's boyfriend was in the hospital dying of AIDS. He remembers feeling sad and wanted the students to understand HIV was a real threat that affects real people.
But he also remembers being happy because, for the first time, he had a captive audience.
"They really wanted to know, and I really wanted them to know. If it happened to me, it could happen to anybody, because it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Fried said.
Fried also addressed depression and the feelings associated with it. At some point, all teenagers will feel alone, scarred, defective, invisible and unloved.
These are normal feelings and instead of filling the emptiness with drugs, alcohol, sex or self-mutilation, young adults must let themselves feel the emptiness in a safe way.
"Let the emotions wash over you," Fried said.
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