Gaining clarity

We all want to be liked. This is an intrinsic human desire.

To be liked, do we therefore feel as though we need to conform?

What will we look like when we do? What do we look like now? Are we each products of our society, or are we a society of individuals?

I hope we are the latter, but if you look around, if you look in magazines, we are not.

We are surrounded with messages and imagery that tell us what image we should conform to, and what things we should purchase to find happiness and to define ourselves.

My question is then, should we continue to let these messages create the outlines that define our self worth?

Where does it all end and what is the pay off? Are we going to be happy once we look how the TV tells us we should and we have all the stuff that we think we should? How are we going to feel if we don't achieve all of that stuff that we think we should? There is so much to worry about when we fall away from ourselves.

The message we need to communicate is one by Ram Dass; "We are not the sum of our material lives."

We need to communicate differently.

Your stuff is not you. It's just stuff. You are not defined by your material possessions– your identity is not defined by your clothing, although what you wear communicates a message. If you choose for your clothing to make a statement about who you are, make sure it is speaking clearly, and truthfully about who YOU are, not who you believe society tells you who you need to be. This is the difference.