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BECAUSE I AM.This blog is composed of several contributors with different backgrounds and personalities, expressing their way of life as they see it. |
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The Most Important Person In The World Who are you? A simple enough question—undoubtedly one you should know the answer to. I mean, how could you not, it’s a question about you? Surely no one could know more about you, than you, right? Yet, when you’re asked this question, when can you say you’ve answered it in its truest sense? Who am I? Shit, I don’t know—well, not entirely anyway. We’ve been so well trained growing up, to look at ourselves from the outside in, instead of the other way around, that it’s only been recently, that I’ve been able to put the pieces together—well some of them anyway. It was a strange feeling to admit to myself that I didn’t know much about me at all. I marveled, at how so much could get lost in the seemingly simple process of aging. I’m just at the beginning of rediscovery. At 21, is that too late? I don’t think so. Shit, I hope not. As a kid, everything was so clear, the future apparent, and obvious. I knew what I wanted; it was just a matter of gaining the ability to do so. So off I went, submerged into the educational system, exposed to overwhelming media, and dictated upon by society. Slowly, as I grew older, what was once so clear started to get replaced by fear, other’s expectations, the reputation you want to uphold, the constraints of “reality”, and countless other factors. Before you know it, it’s all gone, replaced—until you find it again, underneath the fear, expectations, and constraints. Getting to know oneself is a full-time thing. New pieces of information are given to you through various worldly interactions. It could be as simple as smiling back at someone, holding someone’s gaze, or laughing at a joke. Or it could be something more complex like, mustering the courage to kiss someone, refusing to adhere to common beliefs, exhibiting indifference towards terrorism, or fighting to live your dreams. If this was poker, where every betting round is a chance to gain more information, every check, bet, call, or fold represents new information about you. New information which helps us understand our character. How do I react under pressure? What do I do when presented with a lot of free time? Am I a man/woman of my word? Do I let external factors cloud my judgment? Do I stand up for what I believe in? What do I really want to do? All of these questions can only be answered through experience. As experiences with others shape your perceptions of them, experiences with yourself shape your understanding of you. In this, lies another challenge. It seems people in general, have no problem in judging people around them—strangers, acquaintances, and even friends. But when it comes to judging ourselves, we tend to be either overly critical, or overly lenient. There are some of us that just really have high standards, and continue to try to raise those standards whenever the initial standards are met. This is great for developing high-level performances, but has the effect of belittling achievements and playing down skills. And there are some of us who don’t believe in our capabilities, and let our potential go to waste. It is great for living life with lowered expectations, where great things, are promoted to unbelievable things. Everything is wonderful, but everything is only by chance, and not from your own doing. That’s why it’s so important to go out and do different things—to experience life, act on instinct, get out of the comfort zone and test our limits. It is in this way that we learn about ourselves. Our true selves—not the selves we want to be, or the selves other perceive us as, just oneself. After understanding the person that you are, another challenge awaits. What if who you want to be, doesn’t coincide with who you have observed yourself to be? It seems this is the battle that is most difficult to fight. Should we let our natural being take charge, or should my ambition drive my life? We are a contrast between who we are and who we want to be. The question is, which side are you leaning on? Is it possible to find equilibrium? Or should the question be asked at all? Maybe there really is no side to lean on. Maybe it shouldn’t have to be so difficult. Maybe if we all just listened, and I mean truly listened, without bias or influence, we could hear what was once so clear when we were younger. We all know what we have to do in life. We all have that one thing or few things that we do that just embody us and fill us with mind-boggling satisfaction. There never was supposed to be confusion. We were made for this purpose. And we knew it from the beginning—we just forgot. Whether it’s to sing, to dance, to write, make music, design clothing, play basketball, to travel, go on adventures, or whatever it is that floats your boat—it’s time to remember what it is you’re here for. Forget the “safe” road, it doesn’t exist. Generation after generation have fallen victim to the system and conformed to suppress their desires in exchange for security and safety. And what has that led to? The world continues, in and out of financial crisis, war, and terror. Where’s the security, the safety? It’s time to understand that risks are inevitable and must be taken to live the life you always wanted. Go out, live your dreams. Stand up and do it. A wise man named Jason Mraz said, “Leap in, the net will appear.” Life is simple. Listen to your heart and follow. Everything else will fall into place. We’ve lost ourselves over the years. Every year growing more and more interested in other people while losing touch of ourselves—becoming duplicates of one another. We’ve lived our lives in reverse, placing other people on imaginary pedestals so we can admire them. The most important person in the world isn’t Brad Pitt, Megan Fox, your boss, best friend, boyfriend or girlfriend, or even the United States president Barack Obama himself. That title goes to the person looking back at you in the mirror. That person is you. - Jing Labels: jing, the most important person in the world |