Expectations
...Social Expectations.
I'm sure everyone on Earth lives within a society. Within each society there are specific guidelines which should be followed, the norms of society. Most urbanized societies today almost have the same norms, however slightly different. Dubai's norms aren't that much different. Its just that our set of norms is shaped through Islamic values and Arabic traditions.
I would very much like it if I were viewed only as me. Not through my friends, my family, how I look, how I dress, or through what I do; I would like to be viewed by who I am. But who am I kidding? We all know that that's not going to happen. So what do I do? Well I guess ideally, my family, friends, and the way I present myself should all represent the person I am inside, or at least the person I want people to view me as. What if that's not possible?
So because we sadly live in some kind of society, we have to oblige by the norms of that society. And if we don't, we are often scorned at. To add to that, we do not live in a utopian society either. I believe that utopian societies don't yet exist, and so we will continue to be judged by our appearance, and not by who we are. Solution? Let your outside appearance reflect your inside.
At some point, a problem rises. What if your inside doesn't fit in with your societies norms? I'm not necessarily talking about myself, but I have observed that there are many, not few, who just don't seem to abide by society's norms internally. These people generally branch out into two groups. There's the group which rebels, the people who don't seem to care about these norms. They are also the people who are sometimes viewed as freaks. They are the ones who choose to represent themselves for who they really are - with the exception of those who just want the attention. They are the ones who should be congratulated for their self-confidence. Sadly, society does not work that way. As far as the society cares, they are the freaks.
There are also the ones who oppress themselves and who they are for the sake of fitting in with society. Fitting in with society is important, but it is sometimes overly oppressive. They force themselves to be someone they aren't, that they could even lose track of their actual person. They might've been the next Einsteins, Mozarts, Bill Gates'; but no, because they see the importance of society and try to fit in and usually lose this chance of being something great. Isn't it agreed upon that all great influential poeple were weird? No one is simply weird, weird is a word that describes a person who is strange, strange within the context of society. I think that justifies my point.
So where's the balance? Maybe the only place you can be yourself is at home, like people say; and sometimes you can't even be yourself in your own home. The truth is that you don't only represent yourself in society. It's called society for a reason, its a community. In a community you live between people. There are the close people such as your family and your friends, but there are also a lot more people you just happen to know. Apparently you have to give them a good impression, one that abide's by the society's norms. And if that's not enough, all those people also have friends, who might very likely know you, or have friends that know you. In the end everyone knows the other, so you better not let your guard slip!
As far as I know, this is society. Follow the norms. Try hard to be like everyone else. If you can't, take a risk, you're either a genius or a freak. THE END. You don't live in utopia. In this world you represent EVERYONE you know. Be as perfect as you can.
I'm sure everyone on Earth lives within a society. Within each society there are specific guidelines which should be followed, the norms of society. Most urbanized societies today almost have the same norms, however slightly different. Dubai's norms aren't that much different. Its just that our set of norms is shaped through Islamic values and Arabic traditions.
I would very much like it if I were viewed only as me. Not through my friends, my family, how I look, how I dress, or through what I do; I would like to be viewed by who I am. But who am I kidding? We all know that that's not going to happen. So what do I do? Well I guess ideally, my family, friends, and the way I present myself should all represent the person I am inside, or at least the person I want people to view me as. What if that's not possible?
So because we sadly live in some kind of society, we have to oblige by the norms of that society. And if we don't, we are often scorned at. To add to that, we do not live in a utopian society either. I believe that utopian societies don't yet exist, and so we will continue to be judged by our appearance, and not by who we are. Solution? Let your outside appearance reflect your inside.
At some point, a problem rises. What if your inside doesn't fit in with your societies norms? I'm not necessarily talking about myself, but I have observed that there are many, not few, who just don't seem to abide by society's norms internally. These people generally branch out into two groups. There's the group which rebels, the people who don't seem to care about these norms. They are also the people who are sometimes viewed as freaks. They are the ones who choose to represent themselves for who they really are - with the exception of those who just want the attention. They are the ones who should be congratulated for their self-confidence. Sadly, society does not work that way. As far as the society cares, they are the freaks.
There are also the ones who oppress themselves and who they are for the sake of fitting in with society. Fitting in with society is important, but it is sometimes overly oppressive. They force themselves to be someone they aren't, that they could even lose track of their actual person. They might've been the next Einsteins, Mozarts, Bill Gates'; but no, because they see the importance of society and try to fit in and usually lose this chance of being something great. Isn't it agreed upon that all great influential poeple were weird? No one is simply weird, weird is a word that describes a person who is strange, strange within the context of society. I think that justifies my point.
So where's the balance? Maybe the only place you can be yourself is at home, like people say; and sometimes you can't even be yourself in your own home. The truth is that you don't only represent yourself in society. It's called society for a reason, its a community. In a community you live between people. There are the close people such as your family and your friends, but there are also a lot more people you just happen to know. Apparently you have to give them a good impression, one that abide's by the society's norms. And if that's not enough, all those people also have friends, who might very likely know you, or have friends that know you. In the end everyone knows the other, so you better not let your guard slip!
As far as I know, this is society. Follow the norms. Try hard to be like everyone else. If you can't, take a risk, you're either a genius or a freak. THE END. You don't live in utopia. In this world you represent EVERYONE you know. Be as perfect as you can.
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