My hope in life is to cultivate a space where people feel that it’s okay to be themselves whenever they’re around me. The world we live in has created so many chains and boxes on personality. So much of what people present or perform is created from what others want them to be. It’s gotten to the point where people hide who they are to please others, in hopes that the outward acceptance will fuel them and offer a sense of joy. But in reality, what we fail to realize is that true joy comes from within.
Your space was meant for you. Every single person has unique experiences, emotions, and even universes compared to the next person. Why aren’t we owning that? Our society seems to reward those who can conform to society's unspoken rules. I would truly love it if we lived in a world that celebrated difference. Because no one size truly fits all.
There is so much power in personality. It warms my heart to think about how much we can grow as people when we not only see contrast but seek to comprehend and appreciate its presence. It is in that appreciation that we can learn to be compassionate for one another. Compassion can not occur if we don’t put ourselves in each other’s shoes. What if you were a black woman? What if you were the homeless man you walked past on the street? What if you identified as transgender? This is the kind of critical awareness that allows you to appreciate differences.
Don’t let society coax you into being afraid of who you were born to be. If you are creative, be creative. If you’re an intellectual, be intellectual. If you have a soul that naturally leans toward empathy and compassion, be empathetic and compassionate. If you’re strong-willed, stand strong in your thoughts and speak them shamelessly. The world doesn’t need any more people who think just like the next person.
I promise.
Originally Published: June 28th, 2019
Comentários