I'm not sure I've ever fit in properly with society. For a long time I made the attempt, but I don't think I ever fooled anybody. Going along with societal norms was always rather awkward for me, and even my attempts to fit into the countercultures didn't really work. I was perpetually stuck in some sort of cultural limbo where I never really fit in to any specific groups. Individuals I could connect to, but I always had difficulty with groups.

Throughout the experience there was a word that followed me around, I didn't want to identify with it, but people sure liked to use it to define me. That word is "weird" and when I was trying to fit in with society, it hurt when people called me that. It meant I had failed in my attempts to fit in. Now I don't see the word with such a negative connotation, heck, it's more of a compliment now. It means I'm not a conformist, I don't just ignorantly follow the crowd. I like who I am and I don't try to hide my uniqueness.

Something I eventually recognized is that nobody ever really fits perfectly into any culture. This is why it was far easier for me to connect with individuals, because they could drop their pretenses and just be themselves. I didn't mean anything to society, my opinions didn't matter, so people could behave far more naturally around me without any fear of repurcussions. Everyone is unique, and what it means to be "normal" is just an ideal that only exists in the mind. Nobody really fits perfectly into cultural norms, it's just a mask they put on when dealing with others.

Everyone is weird, some people just do a much better job of hiding it than others. I suspect this is a big part of why privacy is valued so much in our society, someone might discover your weirdness and try to use it against you. Nobody's supposed to know that your Heart sings when you're in blissful dance, completely naked. Nobody can see you doing Dirty Harry impressions in front of your bathroom mirror. Expressing yourself too freely would bring ridicule and judgment in public, so it stays hidden, private.

If you want to be happy, let go of society's judgements, learn to be happy with yourself instead of trying to fit in. Embrace your "weirdness". Of course, do this intelligently, I'm not going to sugar-coat the way our society is. Here is the United States they have special prisons, "mental institutions", where they often put people who don't properly fit into society. Too much uniqueness and you can be perceived as a threat to societal norms. Society used to execute people like that, but nowadays they just drug them or lock them up. I don't say this to be negative, it's simply the unpleasant reality of the situation. Approaching society intelligently with awareness of how it works is highly recommended. Too much naivete can get you into trouble.

Love and acceptance of self and others is key, and how good it feels to express yourself freely without judgment! It's not really the judgment of others that keeps us chained, it's our own self-judgment. It's up to you whether or not you accept what another person says. You can see their beliefs as saying far more about them than you, that's how it really works. Like it or not, you're going to be judged by others, it's simply how our society is. You can betray your own self in a futile attempt to avoid the judgments of others by trying to fit in, or you can learn healthier ways of dealing with judgement. You can release all those chains, and you can begin right now.


The Galactic Free Press
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