WE...US..OURSELVES..

In one of the modules, our lecturer asked us to write an essay about “ourselves”. Who we are? Our past? Our aims? And where we think, we would be in future? The topic seemed very simple, silly and very easy to us. We all picked out pens to write our story, but stared at the paper for 10 minutes and still could not write a word on ourselves. How stupid and weird is it that we could not write a single sentence on us. When asked to write about others we can write thousands of words but when it comes to ourselves, we need such a long time. Why? Is it because we never cared about us? Or is it because we left other people to judge who we are??

By the end of the class we were able to scribble some of our “thoughts” on ourselves. We all opened our sentences, with our names and then saying that people think, I am outstanding, confident, beautiful, creative …blah blah blah but none of us said, who WE think we are? We judged ourselves on what people said to us.

While talking about our past, we all talked about our culture, customs, family. It was nice to hear and observe that we still believe in family values. But it was a shock how people still believe in imposing cultures and its values in people without thinking about their personal desires. Someone once said, we are all born free but are chained afterwards. I highly believe in this statement because no matter how educated we think we are, there is always something or the other that draws back our steps. Is it us who created that chains or is it the circumstances that compels us to be in such circle?

When I was at school, (millions of years back!) my teacher asked us to write an essay about our aims in life. I still remember, there were 40 students in class and all of us had a same aim in life; “Doctor”. We got very good grades for writing such an aspiring essay however, it is funny that out of 40, only two of the students are studying medical science. Although we were different people, we had similar aims because that is what we were shown by other people. Some of my friends believed in this aim for a long time as it was imposed on them, it took them a lot of time and effort to change this “so called aim” into something they wanted to do in life.

No matter how much we think, we are independent and sensible enough to make a decision on our personal life or ourselves? We often seek for other people to tell us what to do? It is not wrong to seek help but it is wrong not to believe in us. It is wrong not to recognise own potentiality and capabilities.

I hope we start thinking about who we think we are and not on the base of others judgements. I hope next time, when any of us are asked to write about ourselves, we would not hesitate and write our own thoughts not what other says…Good luck!