Why is it so?

Today I was reading someone’s Blog, they were talking about how they have had to battle with their self confidence due to a comment made by someone else. They felt they had to do a ‘status check’ on their life before moving on. Fortunately I now read that they have moved past this and made some fantastic positive steps and are back on track!!

 

It seems that there is so much going on in society that tells people who they should be and how they should act and what they should look like to be considered ‘normal’. What is normal? and who gets to make the rules? But more importantly – why do people think that it is their place to pass judgement or comment? Who are they anyway?

 

I suppose the reason for these comments is that I have become increasingly disillusioned by our ‘society’, so much so that I am more and more referring it to a ‘group of people that live close to each other’. But at the same time, many want to have their say about those who they would not otherwise make any effort to relate to.

 

When I started running, I noticed that whenever I passed someone there would often be an effort to NOT look at me and forget about a smile or a hello. So I decided to say hello to everyone I passed and see what the reactions would be, it varied from a cheery reply, a surprised belated reply, polite reply, a smile, a nod, but there are still many who ignore the greeting all together. Even in our street – and I am to blame here also – we only speak to one of our neighbours regularly, and most I have not met despite being there a year now.

 

So why do we still feel that we have to measure up to some unwritten expectations? Even though we associate with relatively few people in our society.

 

To those that feel like they have to conform or perform to fit in, my message is:

‘Be true to yourself, be happy with who you are, impress only yourself. If you are not impacting on someone’s quality of life, then you do what you feel is best for you. If someone wants to waste their time critising you, let them. Don’t waste your time by being worried about it. Unless you ask for someones opinion, don’t worry about the freebies that are offered’

 

BTW – next time you are standing with an ‘awkward silence’ with a stranger in a queue or when you pass someone on your run – say hello, you will bring our society one little bit closer. Imagine if everyone gave a polite greeting to a stranger even just 5 times a week, that would be 100 million contacts with strangers in Australia every week!!

 

M