Four-Leaf Clovers
Earlier today during breakfast, as me and my family feast on pancakes and strawberries, my mom offered me a bowl of pears. No offense to any pear lovers out there, but I hate pears with a passion. Everything from the taste to the texture, I despise. And as I sat there in front of a bowl filled to the brim with my eternal enemy, I thought to myself, why did my mom even offer me these? Did she not know that I don’t like them? But then I realize that within the 17 years that I’ve lived under the same roof as her, I don’t think I’ve ever even told her about my resentment towards pears. Everyone in my family likes them so I’ve never felt the need to voice my objections in fear that I’d bother my mother by demanding for another kind of fruit. All this time, every time she offers me them, I just nod and then painfully eat them in silence.
Given the never-ending machine that is my brain, that simple bowl of pears leads me to wonder how many valid opinions and ideas could someone have but never voice? How many unprecedented questions exist in someone’s mind but were never asked? How many compelling feelings were felt but were never shown? All in the name of being ‘normal’, all in the name of ‘not being a bother’. It’s odd, really, how society tells you that in order to thrive you need to have that hint of peculiarity however society itself is the one shaming you for letting your distinctions shine.
In a world full of nameless faces, everyone strives to have a sense of individuality without being boxed into the weird category. But at the same time, being labeled as ordinary is also frowned upon. “I’m not like the others,” they say as they continue doing mediocre routines society wants them to conform into. It’s almost like there is a certain guideline of being edgy that you should follow but never defy. However, that’s the thing I don’t understand most, though. Being yourself should mean just that. Being yourself, being your own idea of authentic, not meeting society’s expectations of being quirky.
As humans, we are not only built from flesh and bones, those are actually the things that shape us the least, well at least in my opinion. Our personal niches, thoughts, ideas, opinions and feelings matter so much more than our bodily self. So let them shine. Let them shine and let them form your identity. At the end of the day, just like four-leaf clovers, humans are much more special, seen as whole and rare. So live your life for yourself, don’t let those ridiculous societal guidelines make you maintain only a facade of your true worth.
Hate pears all you want. Love mismatch socks all you want. Think out loud all you want. Wear your heart on your sleeve. Speak up for what you believe. Bake cookies even if you’re not that good at it. Be sad and sulky all you want. Cry and laugh and eat ice cream from the tube. Date as much as your heart desires. Read books about stars and constellations and zodiacs. Do everything, anything. Dear you, do not hesitate to have depth. Be unapologetically yourself. Soar high in your own true self. Do things that make you feel human. Let them hate if they want to. Live your life for yourself and let them watch in jealousy of your freedom.