“I have already settled it for myself so
flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.” –Georgia O’Keeffe
Well said. I
greatly admire Georgia O’Keeffe for being exactly who she was, for sharing her
original view of the world rather than acquiescing to the societal norms of her
day. It is something when we accomplish so great a task as being in solidarity
with ourselves, clear about who we are and what we are about in the world.
Integrity—being
true to oneself—is vital for health and happiness and yet it often seems as
though it is the first casualty upon engagement with the world. Whether driven
by economic necessity or anxious desires to fit in, we give away precious aspects
of our individuality and are poorer in every sense for it.
We want to
belong, even need to belong. I get that. However, the sort of belonging that
demands we divorce core parts of ourselves in the name of economic success or
social status seems only a thinly veiled form of enslavement to me. Can you
imagine how much originality, how much beauty is lost to the world when we sell
our souls so cheaply?
There is nothing
more important than living life in solidarity with oneself (being more of who
you are). Truly.
For Life thrives
on diversity—that is a large part of its beauty—and beauty, as they say, is its
own reward.
