a year of silence

3/19/14

  We seek constant feedback from others in order to feel secure about ourselves. So much of what we do and who we are relies on external reinforcement. Much of that needed reinforcement is expressed vocally by the people around us.
  Positive or negative feedback dictates our behavior as children. Peer pressure steers our behavior as young adults. Societal norms are our guidelines as we grow older. We always look outside ourselves for guidance, whether we are "right", "left", or in the middle, we find a group whose ideology appeals to us and surround ourselves with it.
  Many of us tend to avoid that which does not conform or is disruptive to our derived idea of the way things should be. When you cannot, or will not, reinforce other people's perception of themselves and the world, you place yourself outside of society as a whole. When you stand outside of something, you get a much different view of it.