Don’t Be So Concerned About What Others Think
by Chuck Bantam
Why is it so hard for people to be themselves? Why are we so afraid of what others are going to think and say? Haven’t times changed? Isn’t everything accepted these days? Just who, exactly, is everyone trying to be? And why, exactly, do you think that I can help?
Most of the time I’m at work when you people come up to me. You’re always asking why it is that others don’t like you. Sometimes you even want me to break it down to specifics and tell you what it is that you need to change about yourself. I get the impression that there is someone out there that you are trying to impress. I have this gut feeling that this someone probably doesn’t know who the fuck you are. Maybe this is not that big of a deal. Maybe you’ve got your head so far up your own ass that you really can’t be friends with anyone. That’s what I think because you won’t take advice even though you’re asking for it. You’ve got all of your answers. You’re just asking me these questions to appear like you give a shit. I tell you time and time again, don’t be so concerned about what others think, but you don’t listen. You are lost in yourself. You care so much about fitting in that you’ve made it impossible. In short, you suck.
Do you sense a bit of hostility in what I’m saying? That is because I too am someone who doesn’t like you. It is exasperating talking to you. I have my own issues to deal with. Do you really think I’m going to ponder yours? If I walked up to you and said, “Hey, what the fuck is the matter with you? Why do people hate you so much?” then I could understand your questioning me. I can understand your need to vent, but come on! Pay attention to the person you are venting to. See if they are really interested.
In the past I would radiate the image of concern. I too was worried about what people thought. Maybe that is why you spoke to me in the first place. Now I realize that I don’t care when a psycho like you feels judged. You make me want to talk to others about you. I figure they could have a good laugh when I tell them about your equivocal nature. They’ll laugh because they don’t care either.
As long as I’ve been around I’ve noticed that people only pretend to care about things because they want to seem, I don’t know, affectionate or politically correct maybe. Once something they do care about becomes affected by those things that they don’t, people will change. You may find yourself sitting alone somewhere after a long fight with a close friend wondering what it was that you said wrong. Or maybe someone has to die before you realize that there are other things to worry about then what people think. What people think is really hard to realize.
