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Thread: Is this considered being yourself?

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    Default Is this considered being yourself?

    If you be what yourself wants to be, and yourself wants to be something you're not, are you being yourself?
    Last edited by PJ; 01-23-11 at 09:50 PM.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Moderator kidd's Avatar
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    Kinda tricky question. If you successfully become what you want to be, wouldn't your new self be yourself?

    It's also important to know the reason behind what you want to be. Do you want to be what you want to be because others think it's the right way to go or you really want it yourself?
    什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟

    和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    For example, the teenage years is when people naturally go through a lot of change. It's usually agreed that teenagers NEED to go through the changes, during which they may experiment with different styles and choices.

    So when a teenager is following his biological and social instincts to try things that don't fit him (which he will realize later), is that considered being himself?
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Quote Originally Posted by PJ View Post
    If you be what yourself wants to be, and yourself wants to be something you're not, are you being yourself?
    the question is then why do u wanna be urself.

    life is, in a way, a big play and everyone is acting anyways
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    Moderator kidd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PJ View Post
    So when a teenager is following his biological and social instincts to try things that don't fit him (which he will realize later), is that considered being himself?
    Since he's following his instinct, yes, I think he's being himself, his teenage exploring self.

    You really are a very contemplative person. Keep thinking up thoughts like this. First, the computer bug analogy, now this.
    Last edited by kidd; 01-24-11 at 12:03 AM.
    什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟

    和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩

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    Moderator kidd's Avatar
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    One thought.

    Lets say there's an unmotivated lazybum who want to achieve great things, but, never come around to doing it. He's the take it easy kind of person. He prefers to take the easy route. Then, one day, he makes the decision to change. He takes action, really go out to do things and work hard and he achieves what he has always wanted to achieve.

    So, now, which is his 'true self'? The lazybum or the hardworker? The go getter or the take it easy guy?
    Last edited by kidd; 01-24-11 at 05:13 AM.
    什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟

    和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩

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    Quote Originally Posted by kidd View Post
    One thought.

    Lets say there's an unmotivated lazybum who want to achieve great things, but, never come around to doing it. He's the take it easy kind of person. He prefers to take the easy route. Then, one day, he made the decision to change. He takes action, really go out to do things and work hard and he achieves what he has always wanted to achieve.

    So, now, which is his 'true self'? The lazybum or the hardworker? The go getter or the take it easy guy?
    lazybum b/c thats what he wants to do. he became a hardworker to make money + achieve things, something that society has forced onto him.
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    Moderator kidd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuNaR View Post
    lazybum b/c thats what he wants to do. he became a hardworker to make money + achieve things, something that society has forced onto him.
    But, those achievements are what he has aways wanted to have. He just hasn't gotten around to making it come true until that day he decided to make the change and stick to it.

    The dreams are his.

    So now, he has achieved his dream, he felt a great sense of satisfaction and like this new go getter make things happen self of his. This self makes him happy, makes him feel proud of himself. So, he continues with this attitude in life. He doesn't feel like going back to be a lazybum anymore. So, does this became his true self now?
    什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟

    和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩

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    Lets do away with this be yourself bullshit.
    You are who you are, no matter what do you do or who you pretend to be.
    A large part of you in hereditary that you were born with. The other large part is derived from your environment.

    That crap about being yourself, is just trying to tell people to live up to your own expectations of yourself. Be yourself as in, don't try to be a ****** to impress some girl unless you really are a ******.
    If there is any meaning to it, it would be live a life where you don't hate yourself.

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    Senior Member KeongJai's Avatar
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    Being yourself means not being controlled or having to answer to others. I guess it's not really what you do or how you do it. It's why you do it.
    If you want to change yourself then that's still being yourself. If you don't want to change, but someone else is expecting you to, then that's not being yourself.

    People change all the time. How you think, the way you do things are not likely to be the same 5 years ago or 5 years from now. If you are exactly the same throughout your life, you must have been enlightened, or very stubborn. People are learning and adapting all the time.

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    Senior Member KeongJai's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuNaR View Post
    lazybum b/c thats what he wants to do. he became a hardworker to make money + achieve things, something that society has forced onto him.
    he's being himself in both cases.

    originally he was happy being a lazy bum. so he stayed that way.
    then he wanted more, so he worked towards it. if he didn't really want to do it, he'd remain a lazy bum.

    being yourself, to me really means not having to answer to anybody else or care about what other people say or think about you as long as you are happy with yourself.

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    Senior Member Candide's Avatar
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    For better or worse, people like you to "be yourself" so that they can judge you more accurately. By telling you to "be yourself" here, they mean a fixed and simple version of yourself that hopefully isn't better than them.

    You're always yourself regardless of what you do or who you try to be. "Be yourself" is nonsense, there is neither logic nor wisdom to it. Which is why people who dig half-arsed philosophies (i.e those who subscribe to the SWPL culture) love saying that shit.

    Let's face it, if you can really be someone else, you'd already be what you dream yourself to be, and not your reality self. Too bad that's not possible.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Banh Mi View Post
    Lets do away with this be yourself bullshit.
    You are who you are, no matter what do you do or who you pretend to be.
    A large part of you in hereditary that you were born with. The other large part is derived from your environment.

    That crap about being yourself, is just trying to tell people to live up to your own expectations of yourself. Be yourself as in, don't try to be a ****** to impress some girl unless you really are a ******.
    If there is any meaning to it, it would be live a life where you don't hate yourself.

    Quote Originally Posted by Candide View Post
    For better or worse, people like you to "be yourself" so that they can judge you more accurately. By telling you to "be yourself" here, they mean a fixed and simple version of yourself that hopefully isn't better than them.

    You're always yourself regardless of what you do or who you try to be. "Be yourself" is nonsense, there is neither logic nor wisdom to it. Which is why people who dig half-arsed philosophies (i.e those who subscribe to the SWPL culture) love saying that shit.

    Let's face it, if you can really be someone else, you'd already be what you dream yourself to be, and not your reality self. Too bad that's not possible.
    i disagree with this. maybe on spcnet, everyone is theirselves; but if u go to some other forums, u have all these fake key board gangstas that type like they are some mafia boss, then u look at thier pic and they're nothing but a small white/asian nerdy little boy.
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuNaR View Post
    i disagree with this. maybe on spcnet, everyone is theirselves; but if u go to some other forums, u have all these fake key board gangstas that type like they are some mafia boss, then u look at thier pic and they're nothing but a small white/asian nerdy little boy.
    That's essentially who they are. Try hard posers that can't fight their way out of a wet paper bag when it comes down to it. They may not realise it but that's another matter.
    If you told them to be any different they would probably find that hard to do.

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    I am never myself. So, you are not yourself.

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    Senior Member KeongJai's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuNaR View Post
    i disagree with this. maybe on spcnet, everyone is theirselves; but if u go to some other forums, u have all these fake key board gangstas that type like they are some mafia boss, then u look at thier pic and they're nothing but a small white/asian nerdy little boy.
    Quote Originally Posted by Banh Mi View Post
    That's essentially who they are. Try hard posers that can't fight their way out of a wet paper bag when it comes down to it. They may not realise it but that's another matter.
    If you told them to be any different they would probably find that hard to do.
    I think the point is the sincerity in actions and how shallow or deep you look into the situation.
    On the surface he's not being himself (i.e. tough guy) what he says and what he does is fake - not being himself. It's an act.
    But really when you look at it from far away, he's being himself by being fake - that's the real him.

    But that's not really what PJ is talking about. He's asking, if you are making a fundamental change in yourself but that change is so radical that it's not close to what you are right now, are you still yourself?
    To that I would say yes. Life is a journey and everyone's character evolves. It's different to an on the surface facade that you put on only as a means to an end.

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    Senior Member Candide's Avatar
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    "The secret to success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made."
    "Anything you can't say NO to is your MASTER, and you are its SLAVE."

    "I disapprove of what I say, but I will defend to the death my right to say it."

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidd View Post
    You really are a very contemplative person. Keep thinking up thoughts like this. First, the computer bug analogy, now this.
    I have yet to dump my other 8000 thoughts here.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidd View Post
    One thought.

    Lets say there's an unmotivated lazybum who want to achieve great things, but, never come around to doing it. He's the take it easy kind of person. He prefers to take the easy route. Then, one day, he makes the decision to change. He takes action, really go out to do things and work hard and he achieves what he has always wanted to achieve.

    So, now, which is his 'true self'? The lazybum or the hardworker? The go getter or the take it easy guy?
    This is what I think: his real self is the way that feels more natural and fulfilling to him. If he still deeply enjoys being lazy, but doesn't do it b/c it's not practical, then the lazy version is his true self. If he feels great with his new hard working version, then that is his true self.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Moderator Ren Wo Xing's Avatar
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    What Candide and Banh Mi said; the whole "be yourself" thing is bullshit, because, by definition, you are always yourself. If you are a coward who tries to act brave, then that is exactly what your real self is: not a 'coward', but 'a coward who tries to act brave'. If you're a jerk who pretends to be nice in front of cute guys/girls, then that's what you are; a jerk who pretends to be nice.

    For that matter, 'selfhood' and identity is constantly changing. I guarantee that you had different dreams, hopes, fears, and desires when you were a baby, when you were in elementary school, when you were in high school, when you started working, etc. I am not the same person that I was yesterday, and I will not be the same person that I am today, by tomorrow.

    This is perhaps why Miyamoto Musashi exhorted people to "Consider yourself lightly, but considerly the world deeply."

    "Be the best/happiest that you can be" is, I think, far more meaningful.
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