I Celebrate Myself

Transcendentalist thinkers like Thoreau and Emerson believed that a conformist society is the worst thing about this world, and the societies we live in are turning us into a bunch of the same robotic machines, whose main purpose is to make sure that no one else will even venture a step outside the "norm" or the "status quo" and if they do, to shun them until they too, turn into robotic machines, programmed to only accept people who are exactly like themselves.

Okay. Maybe not that extreme.

But these early philosophers definitely had a point. All of us, at some point or another, have conformed to society, whether it was wearing something considered to be "cool", or doing something because other people say it would be fun, or even making important life decisions because you want to be accepted by someone. I'll be honest. At some time, I must have done all of these things at once.

When I was in elementary school, in fifth and sixth grade, my friends all wore the same things: skinny jeans, yoga pants with "Abercrombie" sewed on the butt, or shirts that said "Hollister", "American Eagle", etc. I, having the hipster parents I do, had none of these things, and I soon found myself feeling left out of the group, or just that I didn't really fit in. I don't think for a second that my friends purposely shunned me from their group, but I naturally felt that I was separate. So, naturally, I begged my mom to take me shopping, and she got me the unreasonably expensive clothing from stores like Abercrombie, and for some reason, I felt like I fit in more. Why was it that based on a word on a shirt, I felt more accepted? I didn't get a moment in those two years to celebrate myself, and my individuality, because I was so caught up trying to be like everyone else.

The summer after sixth grade, I went to camp and met people who were so completely different than me, but were also way cooler. (And let's be honest, it's pretty hard to be cooler than me). I realized then that to be great, I didn't have to be like everyone else, and from thinking about this, I think I fully understand Emerson's quote from self reliance: "To be great is to be misunderstood." He isn't saying that having your words misinterpreted was great, he was saying that to be different is great.

From my experiences observing the different kinds of people in our society (conformists and non-conformists) I have decided that the best way to celebrate myself is to be whoever I want to be, no matter what friends I lose, or gain.