Journal #36- Being Yourself

Being yourself is an important quality to have, and makes life much more enjoyable.  It seems like high school students struggle with this concept, as following someone else's lead seems to be the popular thing.  I have to say that I struggle with being myself at times also.  It is hard not to fall under the influence of my friends and do what they do or say what they say.  Life just seems to be better when I can relax and not have to send useless energy putting on a "mask".  This time of life is especially important because it determines how we are going to live the rest of our lives.  Being yourself involves more than just saying it.  You can say you are an individual, but if you do not act any different than anyone else in a group, you are really not being yourself.  Many people in today's society have a warped picture of self.  It is not supposed to be perfect, it is simply supposed to be who you are, nothing more and nothing less.  This relates back to Walt Whitman.  In many of his poems, he talked about being oneself and the over-arcing idea of self.  Though I did not fully understand his meaning, he believed there were three essential pieces to self.  All these pieces can be added together to equal Self that everyone is encompassed in.  Though this might be true, it is important to remember that each individual needs to be themselves instead of conforming to one set standard.  Some conformation is not always bad, but it is better to be yourself than to try to change who you are just for the sake of fitting in.  Sometimes it is good to be reminded of this lesson.  It is a necessary part of life to step back and evaluate how we are living, and what we can do to improve what we deem in not up to standard.