The Challenge: Celebrate some aspect of your identity; marry the shadow and persona of your life.
Since moving back home to D.C. from a two year stint in California, I've been finding myself in a bit of an identity crisis. It's no secret that the west coast, and the SF Bay Area specifically, is much more open-minded than those of us on the East Coast. I don't strive to figure out why, but I must say that it's something unique about that part of the country that just nurtures individuality. I had a lot of growth take place while over there, and as the days go on here back in D.C., I'm trying to reclaim that confidence and love of life that I wore as a badge back in the Bay. Loving ourselves is something easier said than done; we're constantly living with two identities: The Shadow (private) and the Persona (public). We tweak some form of our shadow, as to become more accepted by the general public, so we create a persona. For some, it's a dramatic contrasts, for others, it's simply toned-down. Whatever the case may be for you, I simply challenge you to find some aspect of your own identity, and celebrate it. This being LGBTQIA month, I've begun being myself wholehartedly, and not fearing public disapproval because I don't subscribe to how a young man is supposed to act, or what's masculine. I'm, in a sense, living my life, and dancing, like nobody's looking, and I charge you to do the same.
"We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies." ~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive
Don't forget to share your testimonials in the comment section.
This is awesome! and I completely agree and will strive to become more loving of myself in a non-Narcissistic way starting today. My shadow and persona are for the most part similar one's just more outgoing than the other which is strange but you probably know that.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm wondering if they are really more open minded on the west coast. At least for me when i went to school, everyone was so open minded and i felt like i could always be exactly who I am and everyone loved me and accepted me for it. We could also talk about pretty much anything and if we didn't agree it was okay and we still were good friends at the end.
ReplyDeleteMaybe i just had a special group of people that i met though
or maybe i could be myself because i've already become something that people want me to be. but everyone has definitely adapted to what people what them to be. that's what socialization is- learning is okay and not okay to do based on society and adapting to it so we can be accepted. i've found that i haven't changed in any way though that i haven't wanted to, but maybe what i want has been affected by other people.
i don't know what i'm trying to say here or if i even have a point
but definitely at the end of the day, my friends from school were all still friends even though we had different religions and interests and life goals and opinions and personalities, but we also were very similar in a way.