Youthful Life: X

" Self-deprecating humor and brutal honesty is a really freeing thing." Margo Price Self-deprecation has its place in our communal communicative wheelhouse. And, it's not meant to be the primary way that we share who we are. Lately, I have been noticing that some of the people around me exclusively speak about themselves in the negative, whether facetiously or not. I did not realize how pervasive it was until I started paying closer attention. Right off the bat it's straight to the self-deprecation. That's it. All I know about some people is the things they have downplayed as insignificant, and all the ways that they are inadequate (by some arbitrary standard). I don't actually know who they are because what they are communicating, whether purposefully or by force of habit, is an incomplete blooper reel.  Moderate self-deprecation communicates self-knowledge, endears, and encourages others to loosen up. Toxic self-deprecation articulates an unhealthy s...

"Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses  the glory of being alone." Paul Tillich Adulthood is lonely . And by lonely, I mean the mere act of being by yourself. There is a difference between loneliness and just being alone. There's inherent value assessment there. The former comes with negative implication, and the latter is nothing more than an ambiguous state of being. I think we are socially conditioned to want the company of others, to be in contact, and to communicate. I also think we rely too much on others to determine who we are instead of spending the time needed to decide for ourselves who we are, and even more so to not decide who we are in relation to others. It's only natural. We spend the majority of our lives surrounded by people whether with be family, friends, or community - then, suddenly, you're on your own. Seeing other people becomes a deliberate act instead of a mundane reality. We have to do things of our ...

Truth - Life is a journey. It may sound cliché but it truly is. Who would ever imagine themselves to be who they are today? We go through things, meet different people, and find ourselves in so many locales, all of which serve to make us who we are. As we strive, endure, and thrive each and everyday we move away from and towards different versions of ourselves. Sometimes you have to get lost to find your way. Sometimes you realize you always knew your way the entire time. Sometimes you just go along for the adventure. This is expedition. "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." C.S. Lewis One of the things in my newfound quasi-adulthood I have come to enjoy is going on adventures. While my inner homebody despises uncertainty and randomness, the small part of me that craves excitement, and independence wins out from time to time. Sometimes I look up a place to go, or something unique to do and just go ahead and do ...

Truth - Life is a constant fluctuation of emotions, situations, and states of being. It's so easy for me to get caught up in the changes and get lost in the chaos of it all. I find myself stuck in my head or flustered in my heart rather than living in the moment of taking into account all the good things around me. I find myself ragging on myself, pointing out where I could have done better, and holding on to moments that may not be have been so significant. What I miss out on is that in the grand scheme of things life really is good.   "When we only look for the good in people, we often miss the rest of them" Unknown Something I have been working on throughout my college experience and I guess life in retrospect is looking for the good in everything and everyone. I often fall into the trap of pointing out faults, flaws, and imperfections in myself instead of highlighting the things that I'm damn good at. Thankfully I'm better with others in being able to...

The 20s are all about figuring out who you are. We determine who we are by what we do, and say on a daily basis. Only we have control of how we feel and what makes us happiness. Ultimately, we are responsible for ourselves, and no matter what happens to us, we have nothing else to do but deal with who we are after it all. No one else, just ourselves. People may or may not see who you actually are, but you need to see yourself. It's all about perception. This week I was cleaning my room and made a not-so shocking discovery, I may or may not be a mild mannered hoarder. I've become a lot better then when I was high school but I still find myself wanting to save the smallest things (friend notes, silly bands, newspaper clippings). It's like I'm in the unofficial old souls club or something. I stumbled upon the senior video the digital media students at my high school put together for my graduating class (Poor editing, and just a colossal mess of mediocrity - hopefully...