I must admit Steve started it. It were his lines that made me pause-
I had devised a title, “Houston Texas: A Great Place to Be Yourself” which I liked. I think what took almost three months was the line, “Being yourself sounds like a simple proposition, but in my experience, it’s not; …
How I agree and I would say some of us may not even know what does it mean to be ‘yourself’. Then I read VS and his post on accepting emotions!
I think the only place that gave me scope of showing my emotions was the playground. I could be thrilled (and jump up and down) when I played a shot well and scream to shatter eardrums when I made silly mistakes. And it would be still alright, almost always. And that too went away because of my long commute now. And nothing else gives me the same scope, to shatter eardrums I mean.
And if you want more, more musings by the sea shore by Lakshmi.
But more tricksy (as JRR Tolkien would say) to answer what does it mean to be myself. I have to say I am left scratching my head. I honestly have very little clue and I am quite bewildered with this state of affairs.
So what does ‘being yourself’ mean to you?
The moment we put a control on over emotions is the moment we stop "being Yourself". But that the way life is, full of controls. Controls so that you don't end up hurting controlled others. Control so that you are not taken for an insane.The moment we subscribe to these controls we'd kill yourselves. Then we are the other selves, the one which restricts himself so that his actions don't end up creating trouble.I have killed myself long ago. And even when I am writing this I am killing myself by taking care of words and grammar that I use. What about you? When last you where being yourself?
To do what I want to do is being yourself.
Mridula,I agree with you. Playing is the best way of expressing your emotions. I used to play racket ball in the US, but I can't find any affordable sports clubs here. I guess we are ourselves when we are alone. I once traveled by myself in Florence and contrary to what I expected, I loved it. I did exactly what I wanted…there was nobody to please!
I was actually just writing to a friend earlier that I think living in a non-native environment really enables you, and perhaps even forces you, to discover who you really are. You have the freedom to be someone different without upsetting anyone's expectations and you can change and find yourself. Can be both scary and liberating at the same time!
I would agree with Cindy/Snid, when you're no longer a kid and are aware of yourself and your actions, the place where you be yourself is a new place where nobody knows you and you can let yourself go, like she said a non- native environment. I feel traveling to a new destination is therefore a journey unto yourself.
Not having to compromise my values, not having to hold my tongue when I have opinions to express, not having to spend my time doing things I don't value …
Laughing so hard my stomach hurts. If I'm doing that, I'm obviously finding something very very funny, and your particular sense of humor, I think, is a key to who you are. If you're laughing that hard, you're not thinking about who you are or what you are experiencing. You're simply living in the moment.
Thats not an easy question :o). Anyway, its not easy to express in words. I tried answering, then I deleted the response.To use a borrowed expression – we have to find our 'original face'. That requires a more intense search than just not caring about people.
I think artists are giving other people an insight into what's it like for them to be themselves.
Difficult to say! Really!More often than not there is an unseen pressure to be/act a particular way.
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. I still don't know what it means and Steve, you started it!
making mistakes in life and accepting them as a part of you..thats being myself too
Thanks for sharing Lakshmi.