We Live in Accordance to what Others Think of Us

It is a norm in our society today for people to be unfamiliar with themselves. With hustle culture today, we are taught to always be moving, always be stimulated, and always be reaching to get to “the next level”. Where the problem lies is when people become overstimulated, whether that be listening to music, watching videos, getting on tik-tok, or bombarding your mind with other social platforms that cause comparison and envy.

As people, we all have commonalities no matter our religion or how we were raised. We all tend to want peace, love, and to be understood or respected. The extent we will go to however to meet these wants is conformity. As shown in the Asch Conformity Experiment, 75% of participants conformed to an answer that was incorrect that they believed was incorrect in order to be accepted by the rest of the group. How many times have you not worn that outfit because of “what they will think”, not joined that group because of “what they will think” or even bigger not chosen that major or career because of “what they will think”. Far too often we consider “what they will think” more so than “what do I think”. Our judgment, opinions, and perspective of the world get clouded by the perceptions of other people.

As your going through your day, take time to pause and reflect on decisions you make that day or are about to make, and why you made them. Was it for you? Was it because it’s what society wants you to do? What your parents or other authority figures want you to do? Make the decision for yourself that fits your values, your morals, and your opinion to begin to uncloud your vision of yourself.

Madison Wallace