Is being yourself really being yourself? Aren't we just a combination of things that have affected us in our lives? Everyone always says to "be yourself because everyone else is taken." We are who we who we are because of our successors, people who affected us, and people who left their mark on us. The books we read, people we meet, and things we experience all shape us into the people we are today. Thus, language and literature play major roles in our development into individuals. Every student may read the same book for a class; however, the influence the book has on every person will be different. I guess you could say that books not only give us insight into life, but they also allow us to form our own opinions and reactions to many events in our lives as well.
If you really think about each of us is like a math problem. We can all have the same numbers but also have a different answer at the same time. Take me for example. I love sports and let's say that sports is the number two. There are other people in the world like sports so there number would also be two but let's say my favorite sport was softball. Now I have 2+3. They might be 2+4 for sports and basketball. We both have the number 2 for sports but what makes us different is that we each like a different sport. So now, we have a different answer. An answer that makes us individuals with just enough in common to still be connected to one another.
I love how concise this was. Very deep, very profound and you managed to keep it short and sweet. Love it! I agree-- it reminds me of the nature vs. nurture debate. I certainly wouldn't be the person I am today without the various books I've read or stories to which I've been exposed. Nicely done!:)
ReplyDeleteI like this. It's a really important question to break it down to, especially since, as you pointed out, people place so much importance on "being yourself:" what makes you you? Some say it's inherent, others say it's made up by your surroundings (as Sophie said, nature vs. nurture).
ReplyDeleteA lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea that their "selves" are created by everything and everyone around them, because "being yourself" is taken as meaning being "totally unique," regardless of what others think or do. But I think that's dumb, for one because it's obvious people, situations, and experiences affect you, and for two because what others think and do can be important a lot of the time.
All in all, good job.