I was in a class recently and my professor said something that made me think deeply. This class was in stand up comedy, and we were discussing a comedian we viewed. I forget what comedian exactly, but my professor had said a line that stuck with me — “When you stop caring about what people think and are unapologetically yourself, people will eventually accept you.” This isn’t verbatim what was said, but it really hit me where it counts. Let me also preface this by saying that this is coming from a pretty goofy professor that I admittedly love, so I might just have a little bias.
Why did this quote resonate with me so? Probably because this is something that I think about a lot. Not just on my own personal end, but in regards to others as well. I feel like this is something a lot of people, college-aged or not, think about on a consistent basis. Who isn’t afraid of being rejected for who they are? It’s incredibly common. Why do we feel this way?
I wish I could put my finger on it. I wish I could say “everyone shares this one event in their life,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I can speak on my experiences, and I can speak on the experiences others have shared with me. When I was a kid, I remember being made fun of by my peers for a variety of reasons. I wouldn’t give these people the time of day now, but, back when you’re a kid and another kid says something mean to you, it hurts. I was such a crybaby when I was a kid too, holy moly.
“Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a common saying. Well, common if you’re a boomer. I would cry over every little thing when I was a child. I was always reprimanded for it too, told that I shouldn’t get overly emotional about small things. I don’t know why I would cry all the time. I just did. I was made fun of for it. I remember being worried as a kid that people would make fun of me if I cried in public over something small or stupid. That shouldn’t be how any kid feels in a setting with other people their age if you ask me. But hey, it is what it is — I got over it — and it made me a stronger person.
It feels weird to share insecurities in an article being read by both loved ones and strangers alike. I’m sticking my neck out here for you guys, dammit. And yeah, I admit it. It’s tough to be yourself. I get that and I empathize with that. And hey, I’m not perfect. There are sometimes where I hold myself back from saying what I want to say, or doing what I want to do. But hey, it’s called being a freaking human. We’re imperfect by design.
Here’s a short story. I remember one time, I was having a girl over at my dorm. We were going to watch a movie, and when she came over, she didn’t like the posters I had up. I’m a huge fan of comics, games and anime. She asked “oh you don’t like anime do you?” It hurt a lot, not gonna lie, since I liked this girl a lot. She was nice too, and I was shocked that she judged me over something so small and miniscule. Since then, when I’ve had other people over I would always be worried about what they would think of my decor. But again, none of that really matters. If I’m interested in someone, and they don’t like the fact that I’m passionate about the stuff I like, that’s their loss, not mine.
And that’s the healthiest way to think. Be yourself. Don’t be worried if people will accept you or not. Humans are smart. We can tell when someone isn’t being honest. Call it a gut feeling, call it intuition, call it whatever you want — people will eventually accept you if you are you. Just be yourself, and you will naturally attract people who do. Take it from me, take it from people I know, take it from everyone. Be authentic and people will respect it. Love yourself and people will love you. Not everyone, but that doesn’t matter.
Nicolas Scagnelli is a senior majoring in English.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial.