Who am I?
Perception of this world or the people whom I love?
Who am I?
Okay, okay. There could not have possibly been a more philosophical start to this article. But let’s dive in.
If you have ever been lost in thoughts amid traffic or probably questioned your existence at three in the morning, welcome. It was just one of the many moments in my life when I drifted into another universe, thinking about my life like a dramatic movie where the climax hasn’t arrived yet.
Who am I?
To the world to whom I am another stranger on the internet, I am Palak Upadhyay, who is currently pursuing her master’s in Chemistry and lives in India. To my friends and family, I might be someone who loves to write, sings at the top of her voice, dreams unrealistically and is always willing to lend her ears. I might be brown and skinny or fat to someone who might have just seen me walk on the road. I might be simple or stylish or overdressed or underdressed.
Who am I?
Am I the perception of the people who saw me for ten seconds standing in the grocery line? Or the perception of a childhood friend turned enemy? Or my high school teacher, who would pick on me? Or my parents or my mentors?
Imagine this world as a factory, where all of us are merely products. We are labelled by someone based on our looks, our grades or status in society, our background, our nature, and the way we walk or talk or laugh.
Recently, I’ve realised this one thing. How unknowingly and subconsciously, I had been catering to everyone else’s perception. If someone made up an opinion about me based on my looks, I’d try to change it up to fit society’s standards. And I’d do the same for my academics, my choice of colours to wear and whatnot.
But I mean, what would be the point in even doing all of this? Some people hate on legends like Taylor Swift; some might have an issue with Elon Musk or think they could be a better president for their country.
I do understand that getting ‘validated’ oh, it feels fantastic! But sometimes, this race of trying to become everyone’s favourite or instead be appreciated by the world may take us away from who we truly are and what we truly wish to be.
No, I am not here to say, ‘’Be Yourself!’’ What I am here to say, though, is to change yourself. Better yourself. Go out of your comfort zone to make a difference. But most importantly, do all of that only if you truly wish to bring that change.
We are the perception of the thoughts in our heads. It’s not the numbers that define us or our potential. Neither is it the Lamborghini or the Armani suit. It is our hard work, our goals and ambitions; our personality; our energy and who we are as a human.
Pull out a sheet of paper and if not, take out the notes app on your phone. And write down the labels you truly wish to be defined as. The labels that would give you true happiness. For me, it would be a confidante, trustworthy, kind, and then probably a prolific writer, or so.
It would really mean a lot if you could share the labels you’d love to be defined as in the comments. And if not, that’s cool too. But do write those down and look at them frequently. It might help bring you back to reality in this ‘reel’ world.
If you reached up to this point, thank you so much for reading!
