Who decided that if you walk through life unfazed it shows your superiority over others who don't? That prohibiting things from affecting you is proof that you are above them. That a cool, calm demeanor in the face of adversity is the ultimate sign of strength?
Who tricked us into believing that we should edit our lives to make them look as pretty as possible? That you should spend your energy on maintaining an image. That if you can project the facade of stability and success then that is what really matters.
Who lead us to believe that what we feel should be controlled? That simply deciding to be happy is the key to happiness. That emotions can be categorized as "good" and "bad." That those feelings deemed "bad" should be confined only to the quiet tears on your pillow at night. Or maybe not even your pillow should hear them. Maybe you shouldn't feel anything at all.
Who convinced us that this is a kind of life worth living?
We are the who.
We are the who that started the lie,
decided every day to believe it,
tricked ourselves into living by it,
and denied ourselves the right
to be ourselves.
I want to be fazed.
I want to go through life feeling anything and everything that comes my way.
I want to appreciate the support of my friends and family because I know how destabilizing it is to feel alone. I want to fully understand the power and the preciousness of love because I've felt the heartbreak of having it taken from me. I want to cherish my life with everything I have because I know how painfully fragile it is. I want to reach the highest highs and the lowest lows and acknowledge them both for their inherent value.A life lived unfazed is not a life I want. When life inevitably knocks me down, I will cry. I will allow myself to feel defeated, unwanted, exhausted, disgusted, disgusting, angry, anxious, alone, afraid. I will feel all of those feelings with the same respect and dignity that is afforded to more socially acceptable emotions. Because we are the who that decides what's socially acceptable anyway. We are the who that can decide it's better for us not to pretend anymore.
love this. also "socially acceptable emotions" is such a cultural construct. do what you feel at each moment. remember, other cultures are much more accepting of grief than ours is.
ReplyDeleteUgh I know. I've had such a problem thinking of emotions in terms of "good" and "bad." I fell like anger is especially tricky for me. I get so embarrassed whenever I'm angry, maybe because it's not lady like or something? Who knows. And even sadness makes me feel guilty too. I think of my sadness as such an inconvenience for other people who have to deal with me. That all sounds so silly, but it's crazy to think about how society makes us feel this way about something as personal and natural as feelings.
DeleteI realized pretty early on that bottling up any emotion makes things WAY worse, so I have to let it all out.