Tim and I were having lunch together about a year and he said something kind of intelligent. As I indulged in a terrific Subway sandwich we ended up talking about public perception and how sad it is that we all care so much (he and I included) about what everyone else thinks about us. He said something along the lines of – when we’re young, we all care so much about what others think about us and as we grow older we think about how stupid it is that we cared so much about what others think about us. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. This is something I try and convince myself of daily. It works sometimes.
I just interviewed a guy yesterday and got nowhere. Every question I asked was greeted with a vague umbrella response and it was frustrating. I asked him, “Why do you care so much about what other people might think about you?” He told me that he thinks everyone cares about what others think about them. I agree, but think about this…
If what Tim says is true, and I believe it is, we’re all really failing to learn from our past – which is an incredibly important part of life. I used to care about what other people thought about my clothing. I cared about how I looked and was careful with all my words. Looking back, I wish I had been a little weirdo, a pariah amongst the people I was trying so hard to impress. I tried to impress them by being just like them. How cool is that? Not very cool. Stick your neck out on the chopping block sometimes. Say what you mean and be passionate about what you believe in. Believe in something. Am I right?
I see a lot of people at school and elsewhere who are afraid of being judged and that stops them from being who they are; it stops them from reaching their full potential. At some point they’ll let go, but it probably won’t be until they are old. And, at that point, what good will it do them? Not very much. Life is ephemeral and we never realize that until the end is eminent.
I don’t have all the answers and it’s hard for one person to really connect in a few verses with a population. In fact, that is probably the hardest thing in the world to do. But wouldn’t it be great if we lived in a society where people stopped worrying so much about what everyone else thought and just started living? Think of how much we could learn and grow before it’s too late.
Define “old”!