i've been discovering lately just how much of the society around us dictates to us who we are, how we should act, how we should live, what we should say and not say. to talk about society is to talk about yourself. what makes up society? people. who are those people? me, you, and everyone else that lives around us. giving into society is something that is bred into us by people, parents and peers that are followers of a society. is all of society bad? no, I wouldn't say that, cause it wouldn't be true. but all it takes is a quick look at yourself to realize that more likely then not, eighty percent of what you do is not based on what you like, but a twisted combination of what you want people to think, how you want them to view you and how you want to be accepted by them.

dumb? yes. why we do it? another combination of wanting acceptance, being people pleaseers and the last third of our decision making is just simply not even knowing why we do it. to stop and think about it is dangerous, because it brings to the light a reality that we are guided by others and their reasoning which leaves us in a place of discomfort knowing that we are not as strong of an individual as we commonly like to think of ourselves. most of us are individuals stuck within the confines of what society has said makes someone an individual. rarely do we do anything that wold be leave people questioning our social skills. we were raised to be people pleasers, people who blend in, who live just like the "normal" society.

yet we are society, we make up society, we help set the standard for the quote "norm" of what life should look like. my first girlfriend Teylor used to say something to me that has stuck with me. "normal is just a setting on a washing machine" she would say. it's true. underneath all of our clothes, makeup, cars, houses, careful language, social behavior, public images and so called "families that have it together" are a bunch of people chained by a society that they have created, and they don't even realize it. we are a people so drastically diverse in likes, interests, communication, backgrounds and circumstances that are only ever partly shown through how we build our homes, or what we drive. rarely do you meet someone who is truly knowledgeable of who they really are and what they like. they are the people who we don't care to really be around, because they cause us to start looking at our true selves, and that simply scares us to death, that we might step outside of the "guidelines" of society, stepping outside of our own self made cages, looking beyond ourselves.

step out, be real about who you are, be real and honest with others, know what you like, what you don't like, what your are pursuing, what you stand for and why. but remember, confidence about yourself doesn't come from inside of you, it has to come from someone bigger then you. because after all, once you understand yourself, you understand that life is not. about. you.