Much ado is made about being you. Countless bytes of data are used to create
little pictures, thrown up on some social media site. The text is often
different. The message is always the
same. It is “I am what I am, and if you
have a problem with it you can go and fuck yourself, because I’m going to be
me.”.
I am what I am. What a strange sentiment. It seems odd that we would have to state
something which is a tautology. Yet we
all do it. From the aforementioned
pictures to the person who mutters, “Sure I’m an asshole and I’m proud of it.”.
Everywhere you find people who take pride in scars, forsake regret, and
celebrate individuality.
On the whole I wouldn’t find this
to be a bad thing. Except we seem to
forget that in being you, one also affects everyone else around them. No choice is made in a vacuum and everything affects
everyone else.
This brings me to my purpose. I need to write, not only for catharsis, but
for professional development. While fun,
my past endeavors have proven to absorb too much energy for no pay off. So instead I’ll turn towards sharing my observations
of my world.
Alright I lied, that wasn’t my
purpose. Or least it didn’t quite bring
us all the way to the purpose. It was
really more of a disjointed introduction.
And it also serves to prove the not so subtle (Or if you happen to be
more than a little daft, very subtle.) point in using the phrase “observations
of my world”. I cannot observe someone
else’s world. If I do, then it is
through the lens of my observation of them, and therefore still my world. All
of this leads me to my second point. I
cannot just observe my world, I have to interact with it too, if for no other
reason than it would be a very boring world otherwise.
Perspective is everything. I’m fond of that phrase. It forgives a multitude of assumptions, and
opens doors to better understanding the people around me. Keeping this phrase in mind lets me look at
circumstances with a greater degree of empathy than I might otherwise find
normally. Some Christians I know are
fond of the phrase “Nobody is perfect.” where they generally mean the same
thing except they muddy the waters of understanding by pretending that the
concept of perfection is objective rather than subjective.
Perspective is a safety
device. People who argue that words don’t
hurt are usually either, a) lying, b) morons, or c) horribly misguided. Eleanor Roosevelt’s oft repeated quote, “Nobody
can make you feel inferior without your consent.” is an excellent example of
why this is true. The point is that you
cannot be brought down unless you give the words of a person power over you. On the surface it means do not give your
consent. But I think we mistake giving
consent to allow ourselves to be wounded with not striking back. These are not words of pride. They are words of caution. Maintain perspective, might be the best
general advice you can give. Look at how
someone else might feel when you say something. The truth is that these photos and ideas I
discussed earlier are matters of pride. They
are about standing up and defiantly daring others to judge you so you can make
them pay for their presumption. Perhaps
if we all tried to keep one another in a bit of perspective, if we viewed them
as we do ourselves, and if we understood that our actions affect those around
us we might not have to stand so ready to say, “I am what I am”. Because really it just makes you sound like an
idiot.
And that is going to be the point
of this. Short musings from the mind of
a watcher. A watcher all too involved to
be at all detached. Sometimes snarky,
sometimes helpful, but always genuine.
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