I have always been an outcast. With my family, my friends, I could never really fit in. I have never felt that I was IN the group or that someone else gets me. It’s not that they marginalize or judge me, but the way I perceive life, religion, politics and society does not fall under what they consider the more popular opinion.
Even though everyone tells me to be myself, and I know that I should, there is still that pressure of wanting to be liked. So, a personal conflicts starts between changing yourself or just being yourself. You start to feel inferior even though you know you are worth it; as if not having a billion of friends or all the family attention makes you less of a person. That not thinking the same way everyone else does means that something is wrong with you.
I felt like that through all of high school. But when I came to college I started to meet different people with different perspectives, and I started to realize that maybe being an outcast is not that bad. I started thinking that maybe those things that make you an outcast are what makes you special.
You can teach people different outlooks on life. Expand their boundaries and teach them that not everything has to be black and white. That it is okay to not follow the popular path and that it is not wrong to be different. I can teach my family and friends how people with different beliefs can get along and respect each other.
Finally, being an outcast helps you become more independent. Since you’re usually on your own, you tend to learn and appreciate your own company. You develop that independence that makes you strong, and you become brave enough to take risks.
To all the people that feel like an outcast, don’t try to change yourself. Embrace it, instead. Accept that some people will not understand your ways, but just because you’re different doesn’t mean that you are wrong. So, be yourself and embrace what makes you unique.