its hard being different...

be yourself... sounds easier said than done.

In this day and age of stolen ideas, copied personalities & conformity, i hear 2 words that are said by some, but maybe not truly meant.

BE YOURSELF.

The only problem with being yourself would be not being accepted by your peers, which apparently is just as important as breathing. As a child, you are grouped with different personalities and you're told to be yourself. Sadly, children are cruel and will make you feel like less of a person if you aren't into the same music, fashion, television shows or anything that the consensus would like. If you have different views than others as a young child, you are subjected to being bullied & picked on for the duration of your school years. That fact has lead to many tragedies, mostly many school shootings over the years. People that are "different" usually will group with other people that are in the same cast off category and will either form a peaceful unity and become life long friends that just differ from others, or those same groups will take a different approach. They may result in resorting to violence to show that their oppression has not been felt by others and feel it should be.

Even as an adult, to be an individual can lead to a social outcast. There are many times when I have seen a person walking down the street and quickly in my mind passed harsh judgement because of their appearance. These same differences cost people things they value at times. A person could be a 4.0 student that went to Harvard, but if they happen to have a face full of piercings, that could cost them potential job offers, even if they are more qualified that the other applicant. The dating scene is also affected. A man could be the greatest guy, a nice job, good credit, nice car, but if he isn't like what she is used to, its a (strong) possibility she wont give that guy the time of day.

So, when is it truly okay to be an individual?

Sadly, in the society we live in, you can be an individual only if its socially acceptable. There are very few trend setters that actually go out on a limb and do something different and get respected for it. If you think of any trend setter in recent history, there was one before him/her that most likely did the same thing but wasn't respected for it. I have a personal example. Back in the late 90's, early 2000's, i came up with the idea to wear I love NY t-shirts in different colors. I was called many names for it, but a few years later, it was the latest trend. Im not sure who exactly got it so popular, but they were everywhere. Alas, I look back and think of the ridicule i took for going out on a mediocre limb. Imagine if i made a big leap?

There is an expression that goes, "Never judge a book by its cover", but in our society, if the outside doesn't look good, then the book is considered not worth reading.

Embrace individuality, no matter what form it comes in.

Once again, easier said than done.