If you have ever doubted the diversity of Indian culture, just visit any DU college. The assortment of students will force you to believe in the ‘Unity in Diversity’ in India.
From the energetic North to the simple, sober South, from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor, from the fashionistas to the tomboys, you are sure to find one specimen of every category in Delhi University. All these ingredients form a mini-India inside the very walls of the college.
As liberating and educating as it may be to interact with all the constituents of this mix, it can also confuse you to no end. You’ll meet people from all walks of life. Some of them will be more intelligent than you, others better dressed, and yet others will be all rounders. You tend to get intimidated by such an environment and start to think that you don’t belong there.
This sense of isolation gives rise to a need to become one of those around you. You want to blend in with the crowd. You wish to be accepted by everyone. You crave for validation. You tend to start acting more like them, and in the process, lose your own identity and individualism. And honestly, the most harm you can do to yourself is by trying to gain acceptance from people around you. When you kill yourself to blend with the crowd, the desperation shows and nothing good comes out of it.
The only person you should really try to be like is yourself. Let people love you for who you are and not for who they want you to be. When you give up all pretentions, all masks, you are liberated.
Don’t care about what people will think, let them do that for themselves. Be yourself. Live freely. If they can’t accept you for who you are, they don’t really even deserve to be with you.
You are unique in yourself. Don’t let the thought of being judged steal your thunder. The people who are actually loved and respected are not the ones who desire to be loved and respected. They are the ones who live life on their own terms and get rewarded for their freedom of spirit.
Do not try to be like others, make others want to be like you. Don’t blend in;stand out.
