The Effects of Social Conditioning
Hey friends! Welcome back. Today’s blog is a side note from last week, when I wrote about how it takes courage to be yourself, a continuation if you will, and goes a bit more in-depth. Why does it take so long to figure out who we are?
There are some really courageous people out there who dance to their own tune, right from birth. They don’t follow societal regulations, some laws or societal norms. These people are generally looked down on as outcasts of society.
Think about it; all our lives, we are conditioned by everyone around us. First, it’s our parents. What did I see when I was growing up? A dad who worked out of town, and a mom who cleaned house and baked pies. This changed of course after my parents divorce, but I got it in my head that a woman’s job was to keep house and the man’s job was to work outside the home to provide for his family. Thankfully, in current times, these norms are slowly being rejected.
It’s not uncommon now to see one partner working in the oilfield, while the other stays home with the kids. (Notice how I didn’t mention gender here). Times are changing and the idea of gender is one of those things that has changed with it.
I’ve always asked myself why certain words are called what they’re called. You know why? Humans have given things these names. Yes, it’s easier to reference something when you have a name for it. But why? Why is a ruler called a ruler and not an apple? Again, human conditioning comes in and we’ve learned the appropriate words and meanings of things to be able to communicate properly with other people. We learn how to act, how to behave. We learn these things from family, friends, school, work, etc…
Sometimes I think we learn things so well that we squish ourselves into these molds, or boxes if you will. We learn how to be the best model citizens - following laws, being polite, getting a higher education (sometimes not) and working at jobs that disinterest us or that are just downright depressing. We press on though life as if it’s not meant to be lived, but as a hurdle to get through.
I want you to think about breaking the box. Live life always as if it’s full of joy, even in the hard times. Learn to question higher authority. Learn to question words. LOL. Maybe there’s an alternate universe? Maybe the multiverse does exist. (Just like unicorns, vampires, dragons and werewolves were brought into our legends - Maybe they once existed too). Maybe magic is real. We’ve just learned year after depressing year to not see it anymore. Kids see stuff all the time. They possess innocence (like the innocent maiden being the only one who could tame a unicorn), which adults no longer have. They use their imagination, and when they do see something, their parents or friends tell them it’s all in their head; that it’s not real because we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s not real.
In today’s world, we know what we see. If we can’t see it, then it must not be real. (Other than religion, or spirituality). Most people don’t look outside their box. They are happy moving forward in their lives, and that’s ok. But I challenge you to question the status quo. To always keep wondering “what if?…”, to alway keep peering around the bend, because you never know what you might find!
Sandra
