Fitting In

I heard recently that what people want more then anything is to be wanted and accepted. It got me thinking very seriously about myself, and my life in general. I guess it has left me with a major question, and that is ....why?

Frequently I have heard people say, and in fact have said myself, that I don't care what people say about me. That what other people think is insignificant. And there are times that I even fool myself into believing that is the truth. But in reality, we all care what people think about us. If I didn't care, then why does it hurt my feelings so much that someone I used to be friendly with at work can't stand me now, and I have no explanation. She doesn't make eye contact, or say hello...most of the time she acts like I don't exist, unless she is complaining about me. I pretend that it doesn't bother me, and that I don't care, but in reality, it annoys the hell out of me.

Our whole lives are spent trying to be a part of something, the in crowd, even the out crowd has some level of conformity. No one wants to be that one lone person that everyone points at. And why? What purpose does fitting in to other people's expectations of who we should be have? I wonder how many of us are truly honestly independent enough to stand up for what we think, what we feel, what we want, even if it is not the status quo? Even our leaders conform to what their various political parties think about certain issues.

Where is the originality and the independence that makes all of us who we are? Why should we care what other people think, when at the end of the day, all that really matters is what we think about ourselves?

Just something to think about....
Have a great day!!