I’m tired of going to parties, which is crazy considering I just turned 20 and these are the years I’m supposed to be going out and enjoying life. But every time I go out, it’s people in clusters with their phones in front of their faces, bopping their heads ever so slightly to the beat of the music and sipping their drinks.
Like our parents tend to say, “It’s always that phone” — and it really is. We’re so scared of being perceived, and I’m a victim of this as well. I hate being perceived.
But why do we live in this fear?
We are constantly being filmed and photographed, which isn’t a bad thing; we should be able to look back at captured memories. However, being candid is being exposed, and it’s vulnerable because it’s genuine and unfiltered. With our fear of being perceived, it becomes a performance that requires perfection.
So instead, we may decide to hide that part of ourselves, fearing that we lack perfection. Trying to have this picture-perfect identity becomes exhaustive and collectively draining. Ultimately, it defeats the purpose of going out and having fun. But if everyone wants to sip on a drink and be on their phones, do that in your own living room.
In our day and age, we are obsessed with controlling and curating our public image, which may be why dancing freely feels too “human.” Maybe that’s why we need it back: to remind ourselves that life is supposed to be lived to the fullest, even if it means not being aesthetically pleasing to the other people around us; to remember that we can move without needing to explain why; and to remember that fun and joy aren’t something we scroll through, but rather something we do. Dancing was never supposed to look good; it was meant to feel good.
If you’re out, you should go all out! Anyone who is truly dancing is not worried about who’s watching. Let the energy of being with your friends, the excitement of meeting new people, and especially the music move you. We need to stop scrolling through our playlists and start living inside of them.
So, maybe next time you find yourself in a social setting with music, don’t overthink it.
Dance, even if no one else does. Especially if no one else does.
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