A friend of mine wrote a blog about the mind, or as some people like to refer to it as the brain (I prefer the mind for the brain is just a shell for the mind). And during the post she speaks of how people follow what society says. She also asked that I give a comment or two and thus I did. The following is my response.
Have you read Crito by Plato? When Socrates was in prison and he decided he'd rather take his own life than to let someone else do it (he was on death row for what I believe his crime to be, philosophy). Crito, a close friend of Socrates, came to visit him to try to talk him out of it. Crito gave the argument that Socrates would be talked about and frowned upon by society. Socrates told Crito that Crito wasn't worried about him (Socrates) but about himself (Crito). Socrates said that Crito was worried about what society would think about him if his friend took his life.
I grew up thinking that what others thought of how I dressed, what I said and such was important, but those words never came out of the mouths of those to guard me and guide my up bringing. What was said was the embarrassment felt by my guardians when I made a certain comment, or cracked a certain joke, or wore a certain pair of pants, shoes, shirt, what-have-you. The guardian was more concerned about what others will think of the guardian rather than what I think of myself. It took me a long time to get rid of that thought. But to an extent we do cave into what society says and thinks. We have to in order to survive in society. Our minds allows us the freedom to be ourselves to ourselves. Our minds allows us, like video games, to become what we feel at that time. I enjoy first person shooter games because it allows me to do in a fantasy world that I would never do in real life because one its wrong and two, I'm too good looking to go to prison. Plus using bathrooms that do not have doors on the stalls will not work for me.
I am currently dealing with someone who is allowing, to an extent, another to control what they do and think and its a sad thing to see. And some may say the person being controlled is quite pitiful but I feel the person doing the controlling is the more pitiful one because their life is so empty they must embark on another to bring false enjoyment to a fabricated life they (the controller) are leading. The transformation from being an individual to being someone who is almost showing they cannot think for themselves is quite and interesting thing to view. Its like watching a rat in a maze, if you will. You watch the rat try to find its way through while objects or incentives are placed before it and depending on what it is will determine how the rat will react or what it will do.
I've learned over the years that the more I am myself the more I am liked - no only by others, but mostly by me. I feel I am a very unique person when placed within the masses, but when placed within a small group of people, I am not so unique because once we are in an intimate setting, people are willing to let go of what society thinks is OK and thus reveal their true selves. Rather, feel comfortable enough to reveal a side of them that society doesn't see.
How a person chooses to go through life, either as a follower, a leader or just being themselves, is up to them. But in the end, when the sun goes down and everyone has left the building and we are left to ourselves, are we able to rest comfortably knowing we have followed blinding, we have lead with cruel intentions or we were ourselves completely and wholeheartedly and make no apologizes for it.
I have followed but never blindly for I may be following the Pied Piper (if you don't know the story of the Pied Piper, look it up. Its not a good one) and I have lead but never with cruel intentions for the intentions will be cruel to me in the end. But above all I have always been me with my own crazy thoughts inside my Socrates mind gently resting in the comfort of my rock n roll brain.
Until next time,
"Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people" Eleanor Roosevelt
No comments:
Post a Comment