Where do I belong? Each of us is part of a group. This group shapes our behavior, character, and has a great impact on where we are going. Are we aware of that? And to what group would we actually include ourselves?
In the last article, we learned why we cannot become perfect. And even though we know it, a lot of us cannot always admit it, and we are still aiming to reach perfection.
Are there other options without a dead end? And how do most of us profile ourselves during our lives? I would like to divide the answers to these questions into the following three categories.
Do Not Stand out of Crowd
Being average is a great strategy to blend in the majority. In this way, you won’t impressed or offend anybody. And although we are all different, our desire to be as close to others as possible in a group has taught us to create living standards or a culture for which we are hiding.
For example, we can see this golden middle way in my native country, the Czech Republic. Our parents and grandparents have been taught not to stand out of the crowd since this was the teaching of the communism environment where they were living in. At times when we all were supposed to be “equal”, any deviation from the mob standard was a free ticket to prison. Excuse us, but even after thirty years, this mindset is still here. So don’t be surprised when you visit our country one day and have a feeling that we are a bit “weird”. In our country, it is a sign of normality and that we like.
I Want to Be like Sirius, the Brightest Star in the Sky
Motivational speeches and books, especially from the USA, with the theme of being unique, follow your dream and getting out of the comfort zone have probably reached each one of us. Becoming “successful” drives people who do not want to be average and want to prove something to the world and to themselves. It’s a way to be loved and hated by a lot of people at the same time.
As an example, I would like to introduce the USA, where most of the people live their American dream. For the new generation the American Dream is not enough, and so they aim a step higher. They want to be the brightest star in the sky. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be eccentric, or vice versa. The more we differ from the crowd, the more we are proud of yourselves.
I Want to Be like Him/Her
If becoming someone who is admired, respected, or loved by others is our major intention but it turns out to be tremendously difficult, many of us tend to choose the easier way. The way to finding our idol, which we eventually try to idealize. We want to be like him since this is the fastest way to perfection. He has a perfect life, doesn’t he?
Let’s look at Asia, which is moved by a phenomenon called k-pop. Girls and boys from k-pop groups are a perfect example of beauty here. If we want to be beautiful or at least as close as possible to the ideal of beauty, we want to look just like them. We want to dress the same way, have the same figure or the same haircut.
Where Do I Belong
Which one of the three groups do you and I belong to? Is there any other group with which we generally identify ourselves with? Which group is the best for you?
I would probably join all groups. I am influenced by Czech culture, later by American, and I’m looking for someone to admire.
Is this really us, or is it just something we’re aiming for on the basis of an unknown feeling inside of us? Who am I? What am I actually doing here? And wouldn’t I rather want to be myself?
This is the second article in the series:
The beginning of my journey
- Nobody Is Perfect
- Where Do I Belong? 3 Groups That Characterize Us.
- Who I Want to Be? A Brief Reflection on Life.
- How to Be Happy: Reflection on Long-Term Happiness
- 8 Positive Habits That Will Change Your Life Quality
- Why Being Open-Minded, Is the Key to Understanding Life
- How Did I Get from Personal Development to Spirituality
- The Ego and Mind, Our Two Best Friends or Worst Enemies?
- Concentration… Gate to Calm the Mind
- Everyone Is Perfect
- The Key to Happiness in the Modern World