We are living in a world where undesired negative criticism is what many fear the most. Though some suggest simply to dismiss the judgments of others and continue on with whatever you may wish without a second thought, for countless people this is much easier said than done. Through my next few paragraphs, I hope I am able to convince you simply to stop caring.
This article idea derived from my initial desire to share something different this week. Something more creative than my normal posts. Something artsy with more imagery. I always find myself looking admiringly at those who share their poetry or similar artistic publications on this website. I love to write in that genre, and the words always sound appealingly strung together to me. Issue is, I have never let anyone read any of that and the quality of it remains unknown. We begin to fear the worst, and convince ourselves that everyone will deem these things we wish to share substandard. We cower at the prospect of the world’s opinions not matching our hopeful expectations…or the fear that they will match our worst ones.
So we stop. We do not allocate the writing. We do not wear the outfit. We do not post the photo. We do not express the thought. In the end, we never know what could have been.
Others are not the only ones to blame, for we are our own biggest critics. We speak to ourselves brutally. Staring in the mirror, we pick out each imperfection. In our crafts, we acknowledge every flaw. In a conversation, we expose everything we might have said wrong. The most fascinating part of the entire fiasco, though, is that we do this in a way we would never do to others.
After all this, we realize actually that maybe no one cares. It is human nature to be selfish. Arguably, we do each have people we care about and are inherently selfless for. When we are fond of people, though, we do not look at them to pinpoint their flaws, but to highlight the good in them. Everyone else who may not fall to the ranks of each other’s affection, is in their own little world. They are so caught up in themselves that they do not notice the things you are most apprehensive they will. The point being, I suppose, is just to do what you please, even if you find yourself unnerved by the prospective perception of others. No one cares enough to even notice what you are scared of, so why worry; and, maybe, one day I will post that writing.