A rewrite
Many Christmases ago at the family’s celebration, one of our granddaughters showed up with a partly-shaven, undercut tattoo haircut. I had to hug and praise her for being such a maverick. In many ways, all my nieces and nephews have likewise displayed similar streaks I always found endearing. My appreciation of this trait in people had been borne of a realization I had learned early: one has to be brave in order to be original in a world dictated by to-dos and taboos.
At a mall yesterday, a fashionably dressed woman, with a huge bouquet of red roses in her arms, walked down the length of an aisle fronting the grocery, as though in a runway, filled with ogling teeners who eyed her closely. Unseen from them at first, at the far end, waited an equally- dressed lady who later, apparently turned out to be her partner. The who-cares attitude shown by the two, despite the onlookers’ visible jaw drop and judging eyes, deserves nothing but praise, and I silently smiled at the gawkers’ reactions. Self-expression at its best and courage in full display here folkies, in clear defiance of the old-world norms.
So, in this every day with its so many dos and don’ts, trends and online raves and what-not, it begs the question, who is up to the challenge of being original? Who is willing to stand up to adversity just so you can say what you feel, or do what you do, and all at the risk of ridicule, or worse, despisement?
Of course I do not refer to the bratty, spoiled or entitled, say-what-you-feel ego kind of trip. There is a world of difference. Fine-tuning a bit, it’s all about having dreams and aspiring to be separate from the mold. In terms of goals, how far are we willing to go at pursuing them, and more important, will we have the courage to ram through all the hindrances that always seem to crop up and block our way?
The struggle to be original is real, especially when we see that it is much easier to be like everyone else. Most often, the outside world validates only those who fit into its standards and then frowns on individuality. For the many young and fragile idealists still coping with self-value, the sheer volume of here-today-gone-tomorrow beliefs and lessons, mostly gathered online, will continually influence and shape their psyche.
It is from among these fleeting influences however where some will be adopted as personal beliefs. Perhaps in turn, they will finalize their resolve and their choices: either be a mere part of a crowd or be ahead of it. Trekkie fans may have a way of putting it: Go bravely where no man has gone before. But Buzz is better: To infinity and beyond!
