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Or someone wears socks covered in little green whales with her kitty-cat skirt (yes! I really saw that this week). Someone 17 or someone 65 puts purple streaks in their hair. Someone else covers their skin in tattoos.
When we see these "unusual" things, what does our brain instantly do? We ignore or we judge. We wonder Why? We try to assimilate this new info into our previously held beliefs. We ask ourselves if we would do that and if we have moved toward self-reflection, we might even ask ourselves why we reacted as we did.
Even if we wouldn't make the same choices, do we have the capacity to accept others...ungrudgingly? (Tweet This)
Why indeed do we feel uncomfortable when we see the unusual? Is it because, if we make it past the immediate judgement, these experiences make us question something deep inside ourselves. Did our parent prefer to dress us in sedate clothing that rarely showed our personality (or maybe only showed theirs but not ours)? Do we associate punk hair and tattoos with those on the fringe who are definitely not to be trusted?
I fully understand that there are folks who are just plain weird. Who actually cannot be trusted, who beat to their own drum that only they can hear. I am not speaking of those people here.
I am referring to those around us who are brave. They have a style, and express it as they see fit. They probably don't care what the rest of us think. And by the way, they probably study for exams and pay their bills and do other things that we would consider "normal".
They perhaps just see the world as a beautiful stage where each of us have a part. They remind us that any of us can be the lead character in our life, if we are brave enough. (Tweet This)
