A friend and I (we're in our 40's) were just discussing a couple of weeks ago how boring young people (30 and under) are today. They have no personality, even as "personality" has come to replace the conscience as the moral director.
I have a friend who transformed the inside of her house into a dark, moody Victorian space and it made me wonder what people would do with their spaces, how they would dress and what they would be into without the constant voices from all sides trying to dictate what we should value and enjoy. People would be so much more interesting!
I love this! Anytime someone even DRESSES in an interesting way, I find it so fascinating, let alone if they have an unusual hobby or something. I was always drawn to the "nerds" and "weirdos" growing up, simply because they seemed to actually have personalities. Our quirks make life interesting, to ourselves and others.
Those I know with the most passive, consumerist mindset to how they spend their leisure time in the way that this article aptly describes are often prone to anxiety over what others think and say about them; they tend to lack intellectual curiosity, but are perfectly content in their ignorance, living the lives that others expect of them. I believe it's a social survival mechanism - they simply want to fit in. That's all. They've caged themselves within a prison of their own design. For some, the discomfort of taking creative, social and philosophical risks that come with exercising autonomy is too scary and they don't want to jeopardize the comfort and security that comes from simply doing what everyone else is doing, and thinking what everyone else is thinking. But you can't really call it "living"; at least, not in a free or meaningful way. Any dead thing can float along with the current.
Even more dangerous and sad: "Instead of asking, “What do I want to think?”, many of us started asking, “What’s everyone else thinking?". All we need to do is scroll through Instagram or TikTok to figure out what everyone’s thinking, what pin they’re wearing, which protest they're attending"........ Etc etc. It's so scary, Katherine 😔
My husband and I talk weekly about what it is like to feel like a weirdo. We are in our mid-40s and looking forward to a time when we get to completely weird out. It is strange to be moving into this mindset as our kids are learning about themselves and feeling the push and pull of conformity. Some of this comes with age -- dropping all thoughts of "Am I doing this right?" -- but I also wonder if it is something that can be taught. We try to model it, but I gotta say our kids feel pretty mainstream and THAT is what feels weird to me.
I believe that even in standardized and computerized workplaces, everyone can mark his or her uniqueness. It may be individual arrangement of the desk and hardware (mine is the old pull-out shelf for the keyboard and mouse, which leaves the desk free for paper notebooks—nobody else in the whole design office works like this.) It may be using a niche software, better tailored for specific tasks than the ubiquitous packages. Above all, everyone should cherish and manifest their own communication style, in speech and in writing. Let's keep ourselves recognizable by the style of our correspondence, not by the titles in the signature.
A friend and I (we're in our 40's) were just discussing a couple of weeks ago how boring young people (30 and under) are today. They have no personality, even as "personality" has come to replace the conscience as the moral director.
Well, that last statement is an interesting point that I'll be contemplating all day!
Yes, my husband I talk about how our kids are going to rebel against us by conforming. It's maddening!
I have a friend who transformed the inside of her house into a dark, moody Victorian space and it made me wonder what people would do with their spaces, how they would dress and what they would be into without the constant voices from all sides trying to dictate what we should value and enjoy. People would be so much more interesting!
I love this! Anytime someone even DRESSES in an interesting way, I find it so fascinating, let alone if they have an unusual hobby or something. I was always drawn to the "nerds" and "weirdos" growing up, simply because they seemed to actually have personalities. Our quirks make life interesting, to ourselves and others.
Those I know with the most passive, consumerist mindset to how they spend their leisure time in the way that this article aptly describes are often prone to anxiety over what others think and say about them; they tend to lack intellectual curiosity, but are perfectly content in their ignorance, living the lives that others expect of them. I believe it's a social survival mechanism - they simply want to fit in. That's all. They've caged themselves within a prison of their own design. For some, the discomfort of taking creative, social and philosophical risks that come with exercising autonomy is too scary and they don't want to jeopardize the comfort and security that comes from simply doing what everyone else is doing, and thinking what everyone else is thinking. But you can't really call it "living"; at least, not in a free or meaningful way. Any dead thing can float along with the current.
Even more dangerous and sad: "Instead of asking, “What do I want to think?”, many of us started asking, “What’s everyone else thinking?". All we need to do is scroll through Instagram or TikTok to figure out what everyone’s thinking, what pin they’re wearing, which protest they're attending"........ Etc etc. It's so scary, Katherine 😔
My husband and I talk weekly about what it is like to feel like a weirdo. We are in our mid-40s and looking forward to a time when we get to completely weird out. It is strange to be moving into this mindset as our kids are learning about themselves and feeling the push and pull of conformity. Some of this comes with age -- dropping all thoughts of "Am I doing this right?" -- but I also wonder if it is something that can be taught. We try to model it, but I gotta say our kids feel pretty mainstream and THAT is what feels weird to me.
So much truth in this piece, especially on the homogenization of society. Thank you for sharing this!
I believe that even in standardized and computerized workplaces, everyone can mark his or her uniqueness. It may be individual arrangement of the desk and hardware (mine is the old pull-out shelf for the keyboard and mouse, which leaves the desk free for paper notebooks—nobody else in the whole design office works like this.) It may be using a niche software, better tailored for specific tasks than the ubiquitous packages. Above all, everyone should cherish and manifest their own communication style, in speech and in writing. Let's keep ourselves recognizable by the style of our correspondence, not by the titles in the signature.
Loved this! Guess because I’ve always being one.