The Undiluted You

I don't deliberately change my mind about things. I don't shift viewpoints to be trendy or in tune with the zeitgeist. I do so for genuine reasons. I didn’t reject Christianity because I got bored, but rather because I came to understand that I was wasting my life on absolute bullshit. Neither do I intend to insult people when I state quite honestly that people bore me. They just do, and I avoid production line cardboard cutout people because if I'm going to interact with another human being I'd like it to be an engaging and gregarious encounter. I suppose we could exchange pleasantries about the weather, but look close enough and you'll see the glazed look in my eye. For goodness sake people at least try to be interesting; at least value your existence sufficiently to be true to what truly motivates you. Perhaps that's why people like David Bowie get so lauded; it's refreshing to see a person be an authentic version of themselves. But isn't that option available to most of us? And perhaps that's why I struggle when I look outward and see a room full of tedious stereotypes. Now I might be all wrong about these people, and on the quiet they might be up to all sorts of mischievous shenanigans, in which case I doff my cap and apologise for my lack of judgement. But, and perhaps again I'm wrong, I continue to wonder how many of us live lives of self imposed inertia? Wanting to be something different but lacking the courage to claim it. I say this because that person used to be me; knowing I was one thing but trying to be another. Denying my true self, the most authentic version of myself, the fun part. I regret spending so many years as a clone, dancing to some nebulous social construct when life could have been way more fun. God I loathe the limits we put on ourselves; the sheer face of crippling fear, this false shadow. I bet some of you reading this aren't living as you'd like to, and perhaps some of this is out of your control. But I bet there's a lot that isn’t , elements you could change, enhance, unleash. Things that would bring you a little additional sense of your true self. To you I say don't be afraid, and I implore you to ignore the negative voices, be they external or just part of your historic inner narrative. Life will rarely be perfect, but it will be a little less imperfect if you can shed those shackles and unlock the purest, most undiluted version of you. I get that society can be a nagging and constricting voice, and perhaps you're one of the many that fear that if people knew you, and I mean really knew you, they'd run a country mile. And you know what some will, in which case you've done yourself a favor and jettisoned one further negative from your life. And the thing is, the ones that stick around are the ones that get you. And what's more important? The number of friends on your Facebook profile or the few genuine souls who'll walk the murky road and enjoy sloshing around in their wellies with you? Only you can decide that. But know this; one day you're going to be too old to do many of the things you'd like to, so perhaps it's time to fast track the undiluted you. Just saying.