Standing Out

I loved high school for the most part...loved the classes, my teachers, the fun I had with my friends, but there was one thing that I absolutely hated: the way people would do something they hated just so they could blend in. To me, there are few things more important in life than staying true to yourself. I was always taught that at the end of the day, I would be the one having to live with myself, and the choices I had made. My dad was a big believer in the idea that it's better to have few good friends who really knew you than it was to have a lot of people like you for the person they thought you were. There's no sense in pretending to be something you're not because in the end...well, you have to reveal who you really are or you'll lose a piece of your soul.

I do think it's possible to retain your individuality and still work well with others in society, although it's definitely more difficult than if you simply conform to other's idea of you. People seem to have an innate fear of anything that's different...even if it's a minor difference. It would be so much simpler to let go of your beliefs and desires, and simply give in to other people's expectations. But if I have learned anything yet it is this: you'll be much happier doing what you want than if you keep your mouth shut and walk the line. Nobody else in the world is exactly the same as me...that's something I definitely believe. If I were to change who I am, there's no one else to take my place and fill that void. Under no circumstances should someone simply let go of who they are, and embrace what people want them to be just to keep the peace. It's not peace...it's a cowardly surrendering of everything that matters.

There comes a time in everyone's life when you are presented with a choice...your own split path in the woods. As Frost said...you can do what everyone else is doing, or you can find your courage, and go your own way, and dare anyone to stop you. There is no sense in conforming, in pretending you are something you are not. Without your individuality, you're just a waste of oxygen and resources because you bring nothing new to the table, just the same tired points of view. If our founding fathers would have conformed and simply told Britain 'yes sir', where would any of us be today? Sometimes you have to stand up, pull up your britches, and spit in the face of conformity. And those are the times when you will truly feel alive.