“Being yourself is
being unique because there is only one of you, take it as a gift that is
possessed only by you. Everyone has one, but they are all different.”
–Anonymous. People are afraid to be themselves because society brings down those
who are different. Kids are taught that it’s alright to be themselves as long
as society accepts them, making them grow up afraid to be themselves. Ralph
Waldo Emerson explains in his article Self
Reliance that there are both positives and negatives in being yourself.
There are positive factors in showing the world that you
are unique and different. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To believe your own
thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for
all men-that is genius” (Emerson). To believe in yourself and what you can do
is something people are afraid of because they grow up thinking they are
constantly being judged by others. Emerson believes that if you show society
that you do not show concern to what they are saying, you are smart. Society
will always be there to knock you down, but you can choose to stay down or get
back up and keep being yourself.
There are also negative components to showing who you actually
are. I am extremely fond of a television show called Supernatural and watch it so frequently that I can quote lines,
making others who do not understand judge and criticize me. People do not
understand the show, yet they declare that it is not a good show to watch and
that I am incoherent for watching it. I am called derogative names and
reprehended quite often. Caring about what others think of you is how society
gets people to hide the fact that they are not just like everyone else.
Ralph Waldo Emerson also wrote about negative components
to being unique. He states in Self
Reliance, “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every
one of its members” (Emerson). He is basically stating that society sets rules
that others are expected to follow, but then get judged for doing what they are
taught. People are told that being themselves is the best thing in the world,
but when you are someone that the society does not like they immediately shut
you down with harsh comments. Emerson is essentially saying that believing your
own thoughts rather than society’s is remarkable because it is rare.
There are both negatives and positives to being unique. A
positive is not being afraid to show who you truly are. A negative is that
society judges you for doing so. Society tells you that it is alright to be
yourself and be unique, yet when you do not meet the requirements, they
criticize you.
Works
Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo.
(1841) Self Reliance.
