15 March 2011

spontaneous versus conforming (turnback tuesdays)

Here's an entry from summer 2006 from my livejournal. I wanted to post this as a way to remind myself that I did learn something from college. Socioanthro was my most favorite summer class. Well, because I only had that and Filipino 14 for a summer class. LOL. Anyway, enjoy as always my dear reader and sorry for the more informal writing style.


Well, there's really nothing much left to say. I'm just so damn tired from all the stress that i have to put up with. It's definitely been one hell of a summer and i am dearly anticipating the few weeks of nothing but pure relaxation that i'll be enjoying once everything comes back to normal. I want to rest! I should just be resting by this time!

In our Socioanthropology class yesterday, we discussed how people always try to give off a certain impression others would remember of them. I agree with this 'cause i find myself (and many other people for that matter) who constantly, consciously and cautiously do things so as to protect a certain image. I mean it's not bad 'cause it's part of human culture where we strive to become the image we always try to imitate. There's this concept also which says how we're divided into two beings, a spontaneous one and a conforming one. When it comes to decision-making, these two faces of us try to influence us more. Though in my opinion, the conforming self almost always wins. And who's to blame? Society. Haha. It's just that society has been too much concerned with certain images and stereotypes nowadays that it's become too taboo to bring out the individuality in ourselves. We'd rather exhibit this ready-made images for us than create a whole new image which is unique to our being. I really can't understand how some people fathom being someone so different from the way they were back then? (a time when none of this image protection thing still does not exist) I mean some people really try to stick to this certain group of people and do everything and anything just to belong there even though they stick out like a sore thumb. Huh, so much for being true to themselves. The world is definitely getting more and more bland and ordinary nowadays. Instead of enjoying a whole multitude of characters, we're now being treated just to a few generalizations which definitely kills the individuality of people. Stereotypes just suck.

As much as i try to be original, i'd confess that sometimes i fall into the trap of conforming to norms and stereotypes. Blech. Maybe it's because the ill effects of not conforming to the norms is just too harsh nowadays. It instilled in me a fear of not being the individual that i am supposed to be. But when i see myself and look at how too image-conscious i've become, i search my soul and call the spontaneous self i've void of manifesting. Right now, i see myslef as an individual who seldomly cares about this fucked up system which assigns useless stereotypes to people. People should be the unique individual they ought to be and shouldn't be forced to conform to this society-generated, evil-induced stereotypes which currently dominate the land.

I'd rather be weird and be myself than be cool and lose my own identity.

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