who were you before society told you who to be?

You were born into the world out of a blanket of darkness, afraid. You didn’t think of what was to come; you were cold, and the world was unnerving. You probably cried a lot. When you were able to learn things, you learned how to walk, and you learned how to talk, but you always knew how to laugh.

When you first started attending daycare, you had to learn to socialize with others. You couldn’t rely solely on your parents anymore. You had to learn how to play and share, and perhaps even be alone. Your parents enrolled you in preschool. There were so many other children wanting to be friends with you and play with you, but they were also scared, just like you. Your parents probably cried when they left you and returned home. Their baby was growing up so fast.

It started hitting you as you got older. You had to start looking better for the opposite sex. You had to present yourself in a specific way to others; don’t show any signs of weakness, and always carry yourself with confidence. You had to look as good as they did in the media. You had to graduate school and immediately find a job. You had to own the most luxurious things, and be better than everyone else at everything. That was the only way to truly become successful.

But at what point did you become a slave to the system? Did you realize it then?

Life is cyclical. You grow up, you get a job to earn money, you spend that money, and then you die. It seems rather bleak when you abridge it that way, doesn’t it?

Let’s talk about what happens in between.