To Be or Not To Be

To Be or Not To Be

Why is it difficult not to care what others think about you?
It is a beautiful day outside and you are a female business executive. You are walking down the street and people are glancing at you. You think to yourself, “what are they thinking?” Well, they might be thinking, “this woman seems rude and arrogant.” Why would they be thinking this? You stand tall with your head up and shoulders back. When in reality, you are not rude and arrogant at all; you are the most kind and considerate person, just confident. Those around you have already judged you.
It is difficult not to care what others think of you. I have heard that it takes just a few short seconds for people to completely judge you. Size you up and down and completely decide what you are like. They will do this without ever even talking to you. Chances are, you do not want people to have a bad or wrong impression of you. You want them to know the real you. Because of this quick assessment and often-wrong preconception, many people are discriminated against just because of the way they look. Many people will look at tall, pretty girl, who carries herself well, and think instantly that she must be popular with many friends. When in fact, she might not. Because of this assumption, they never ask her to do anything. It is difficult not to care what others think about you since many of these judgments lead to various types of discrimination.

Is who you are determined by what others think of you?
In many cases who you are, is determined by what others think of you. I have observed this in many cases, especially in teenagers. Being judged by your peers can be the most intimidating aspect of life and many times affects what and who you become. If people around you expect you to be a certain way, many will start to conform to the expectations of others. François Duc de La Rochefoucauld once said, “We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.”
It takes a very strong willed person not to conform to others expectations for them. I find that those who embrace their uniqueness and not pass judgments unto others are less likely to conform. I believe in being yourself and surrounding yourself with people who truly care about you for who you are. Unfortunately, many people find that it is easier to change into somebody someone else wants them to be. If all of us took a little time out of our day to realize that there is something special and unique about us, then we might become our true selves and not someone else.