Be true to yourself
Marie Snider
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Unfortunately, I was in my last year of college when the “new look” came in.
I still vividly remember the day when Jane (who was usually stylish) walked into our 1949 classroom with a long full-circle skirt — a skirt that ended halfway between her knees and ankles!
All of my clothes had to be retired within the next six months. Even my stunning fur-trimmed black coat.
I bought the expensive coat before my conscience told me not to buy fur clothing. The coat had black fur trim around the neck which continued to the waist. It was a beautiful coat, but suddenly seemed ugly, as the new long dresses hung down five or six inches under the hem.
As a result, the first money from my teacher’s salary was spent on a new coat — no match to my beloved fur-trimmed coat, but more stylish.
That’s when I first became aware how much we are influenced by other people’s standards and wishes, as we blindly follow the current fashions and fads. And how foolish it is to conform.
Think about the Pet Rock fad of the 1970s. Pet Rocks were ordinary gray pebbles from a building supply store. Wrapped in excelsior and nestled in a small cardboard box fashioned after a little pet carrier, the rocks were marketed as “live pets.”
Pet Rocks sold for $3.95, and every rock came with a “Pet Rock Training Manual.”
In the six months that Pet Rocks were all the rage, people who purchased these unusual “pets” gave them names, talked to them, petted them and taught them to perform “tricks.”
Among the commands the new pet could easily learn were “sit” and “stay,” according to the training manual. More difficult was “roll over.” And “come” was virtually impossible.
Paying four dollars for a pebble that was worth only a cent or two, the Pet Rock fad followers made the originator of the idea into a millionaire.
Whether it’s the beehive hairdo or long straight hair, shoes with high skinny heels or clogs, Barbie dolls or Cabbage Patch Kids, Hula-Hoops or yo-yos - we all know what’s in vogue this year.
And most of the time we toe the line — unless we choose not to INTENTIONALLY.
One of my son’s teachers at the Kansas City Art Institute was renowned clay artist Ken Ferguson. Ken was his own person and taught his students to be independent thinkers.
He wrote, “Many times I tell students that you’ll have to commit yourself to something you really love and then have enough nerve to stand behind it. There’s no need to pretend anything about anything in your whole life.”
Ferguson taught his students to be true to themselves and not copy anyone, including himself. In other words — to be authentic.
Many stellar people have echoed Ferguson’s principles.
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth,” said John F. Kennedy. And we all know the famous words from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “This above all: To thine own self be true.”
In this season of frenzied overspending, these are good words to remember. You can choose to ignore the trends and buy only gifts that are best for your family. Or go ahead and get on the latest Pet Rock bandwagon. Just remember you have a choice and a right to be true to yourself.
• Write Marie Snider at thisside60@aol.com or visit her website at www.visit-snider.com.
campfire101 (anonymous) says...
Quote:
He wrote, “Many times I tell students that you’ll have to commit yourself to something you really love and then have enough nerve to stand behind it. There’s no need to pretend anything about anything in your whole life.”
Brillant!! Have the nerve to be passionate about something and stand behind it.
November 27, 2006 at 7:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )