Lame metaphor time! If identities/personalities were like juice drinks, would one have to choose a personality as if choosing among different flavored powdered juice drinks or would the personality come naturally to a person as if it was the extract from a freshly squeezed fruit?
Let’s say for example, I want to be goth. Shouldn’t being a goth something that I don’t have to work on? Shouldn’t it be something that comes naturally? Am I being a poser or a phony or pretentious by being aware of having made a decision to be a certain kind of person?
What does it really mean to “be yourself”? It seems to be everyone’s favorite sage advice, but I can’t seem to grasp it. A part of me thinks that, maybe, if I were to make that advice true for myself, I would choose to cut myself off completely and live the rest of my life as a recluse. Kidding! Of course that’s not true. Or maybe it is. That’s the thing, I guess. I don’t know what’s true.
Let’s say I want to be an intellectual snob! If I were to follow the advice, then does that mean I should just stop trying to be smarter? I’ll just appear pretentious if I continue to. But it’s human to want to be better, right?
I guess that’s who I am- someone who’s pretentious. So am I being myself if I continue being pretentious? Haha.
You’re probably thinking I’m getting it all wrong, that I’m missing a point. Well, that’s the thing. I am confused.
Is it all about faking it till you make it? If I continue trying to be a goth or an intellectual snob or a seapunk or a hipster or whatever, will I just grow into being a goth/intellectual snob/seapunk/hipster/whatever I want to be?
Is that how it works with everyone? Is everyone just pretending until they actually make it?
It's not that I'm trying to stereotype or generalize personalities. Of course there are complexities...
Oh well, I guess the right way to conclude this is by saying that one should just stop caring about what people think.
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