To all the people who aren’t considered cool but who are actually, in a beautiful way.
If you have ever been treated like you were weird, crazy or simply hateful or if you ever felt bad about yourself just because you can’t fit into certain social norms don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong with you.
History Check
Back in the days, people who used to affirm that the earth isn’t flat, who used to make special recipes, in short, people who used to think and act in a way that wasn’t understandable for most people were considered crazy and sometimes were burned alive on the stake.
Were they really crazy?
No, just different.
Moral of the Story: People don’t like what they cannot control or understand.
Society is basically like a cage, a prison where people willingly choose to stay not because they find any satisfaction there but because it’s crowded, which is normal because we are social creatures.
The problem is, when someone chooses to escape this prison while everyone is inside of it, this person is considered crazy.
Most people don’t want to admit it but they would be more comfortable if human beings were robots who act, think and talk the same and enjoy things according to their own standards and expectations.
It was like this in 1500’s and it’s still present today. It’s a never ending story.
The only difference is that now we proceed differently, in a more civilized way.
We don’t burn people at the stake anymore, but we use other forms of pressure to try to make them ‘‘normal’’.
Which leads us to what I call the Villain Syndrome or the Villain Theory, but whatever, let me explain myself.
In the movies, everyone’s happy when the villain suffers and dies. It’s still someone’s death but it’s the villain’s so everything’s okay.
Here, the villain isn’t bad or mean. Sometimes it’s just a teenager sitting alone in the corner, sometimes it’s just a child with some flaws but who’s still so candid and only wants love. In short, it’s just someone that most people don’t like.
But oftentimes, we assume that someone is bad so that we don’t feel bad when we hurt them. Our opinion alone is enough and we don’t think twice before damaging the self-esteem and mental health of someone who didn’t ask for anything “just because you don’t like them”.
So in real life, everyone is happy when the weirdo gets bullied or hurt. It’s still someone’s pain and trauma but it’s the one we don’t like so it’s okay.
That’s how the world works unfortunately.
So if you have ever been called hateful or treated like so just because of who you are with your habits, your beliefs, your thoughts, your hobbies and interests, remember this:
Just because you’re different and hard to understand or you have a personality that’s less appealing doesn’t mean you’re an alien.
God has planted this special seed in you for a reason, don’t trade it for anything else, even though everyone else is going in a different direction and you feel lonely.
Do not ever let shame, fear of rejection or insecure people’s opinion stops you from doing what makes you happy and what you’re meant to do.
Watch this silly movie.
Enjoy this old music.
Pursue this special hobby.
Say what you mean even when it’s unpopular.
Start the project even though you’ve never seen anyone else doing it.
Listen to that quiet voice within even when everything gets loud.
Stand firm and stay true to yourself even when you feel insecure.
Be unapologetically you
.
I know it’s hard and that it would be so much easier to do what society wants you to do but it’s worth it.
But be careful. Don’t take this as an excuse to bother people just because “you are who you are.”
Embracing your personality doesn’t mean you have free access to willingly disturb your neighbor.
There’s still room for growth and improvement, but make sure you work in order to be the best version of yourself, not to become someone you’re not based on other people expectations.
I know all I just said is so cliché but it’s important.
This problem affects people mental health. It damages their confidence, their relationships with others but mostly with themselves and sometimes it stops them from accomplishing their purpose.
This kid you’ve bullied because it was cool might be still suffering and rejecting everyone thinking that no one can love her anyway. That simple comment might have stopped this young man from starting the project that could have changed his life.
Your words have more power than you think
I’m not saying you should always compliment people and sugarcoat things when they make a mistake but be careful.
The next time you’ll want to make an inappropriate comment about someone’s personality, behavior, habits, style or interest just because “you don’t like it”, just shut up.
Just because you don’t like something in someone doesn’t mean this person should be ashamed of it.
So be mindful about what you say and spread love.
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