roerow

So here’s a thing I’ve been thinking about:

About beauty, I mean ‘pretty’ faces, good looking people. Alright, I agree that not all people is 'pretty' and there’s nothing wrong with not being ‘pretty’. For me, being good looking is a talent. It’s just like when someone’s good at math, or painting, or singing. It is something that someone’s born with. So, not having it doesn’t mean the end of the world.

But here’s the thing that triggers me to think deeper.

Today, in class, while I was reading something on my phone, my chairmate and my other chairmate was discussing about whether a woman they knew in the past is pretty or not based on what they see on Instagram. They talked about them like being pretty is all you can remember about those women. Like “do you remember A?” “oh I remembered, she’s not pretty tho”, like that’s all it matters. And it’s been more than once that I found people talking casually about this topic. I don’t mind them saying they weren’t pretty, it’s fine, we all have standards, but what triggers me is it’s all they value of those people. For example if I say, “oh I remember A, she’s a bad singer tho” or “I remember her, the one who’s so dumb at math, right?” it sounds so wrong, right? Like none of those define someone’s life or make sense to point out. Like she’s a bad singer then what? It doesn’t matter ‘cause she doesn’t want to be a singer anyway. She’s dumb at math then what? She doesn’t want to be a mathematician anyway. She’s not conventionally pretty then what? She doesn’t want to be a cover model anyway. But here, I feel like we’re having a culture when what matters, what can be valued the most is what we can see directly so it’s whether you’re pretty or you have no life. Like the way those people (my chairmates) often point out about ‘prettiness’ reflects the importance of ‘pretty’ in their mind. And the way they talk casually, discuss about it reflects how it’s so important to be ‘pretty’ for the group of people. How come it seems easier for people to say someone is ‘not pretty’ behind but it seems more wrong to say someone is ‘dumb at math’ behind? It’s as if it’s more okay to be dumb at math than to not be ‘pretty’. And this kind of talk is promoting the thought of you have to be conventionally pretty to be worth remembering. It’s always ‘pretty’ or ‘handsome’ that comes first before what the actual person is good at. I know this is an extreme case but can’t we see already that most popular social media right now is basically saying you have ‘pretty’ faces, or high-end lifestyle, or else you’re not worth it? And the way that kind of social media is the ones becoming popular is reflecting us, our behavior, our culture, our society. The way we value ‘pretty faces’ and money more than anything. It’s corrupted, it’s bullshit, and it’s inevitable even for people who realizes.

In the future you have to stand on your own feet.

On your own fucking feet.

Climb with your own hands.

Fall on your own.

And heal your own selves.

It’s painful to think that way.

But I do think it’s better to prepare for the worst.

Because nothing would be conventionally ‘pretty’.

Wouldn’t be like rainbows, butterflies, and flowers at once.

It might all be gray with only a different shade.

But that way, I believe we would learn to value something more than just ‘pretty’ colors.

As wise man once said,

You don’t need all the color in the palette to make beautiful painting.

You just need them in the right place at the right moment.

As with our canvas of life,

we paint with our palette given not by our choice

but we paint something by our own decision.

Oftentimes it’s easy to envy another palette,

Or another painting

Or another canvas, or simply anything.

It’s always feel like it is not fair

so unfair that we weren’t even allowed to choose what palette we’re going to use

But when we think about it,

What is fair in this case? Are we living to win a prize? Is this a competition? A test?

If you think it is, then it’s okay, it’s your choice but don’t blame anyone if it’s never been fair.

The point is, it’s to make that palette work,

To finish the painting

To finish yourself

It’s okay to look at others’ to be inspired or motivated

But in the end it’s about your own work,

It’s about making something you like out of that palette you were given

Then you might ask, “What if I don’t like my palette? What if I don’t like my work?”

Well, It’s an art of life where nothing is absolute.

You might not like your work, but that’s not because it’s absolute garbage.

Most of the time it’s because you don’t finish it yet,

Or you just never appreciate your work no matter how many blood and tears you shed,

Or you keep looking at the others’ way of life at which point you don’t even recognize what you actually wants

And don’t even start about doing it for someone else. Oh my, I hate this overused selfless bullshit..

Once that someone else is gone, you ain’t gonna survive. Your reason to finish your work would be as gone as the person.

The point is it’s about your life and reaching your own success instead of someone else’s view on success.

Note me if you're interested ^^