[Ecoholn] Embracing My Authentic Self_My Uniqueness

I used to think that something had to be special to be considered "me." When talking about individuality, I believed it meant being "absolutely" different from others. I thought that was what individuality was; if it was the same as others, it wasn't individuality.

Individuality wasn't about being special. As time went on, and I reflected on individuality, I realized it was simply about living as my true self. Nowadays, with employment, career markets, and the spread of AI, it has become an era where each individual's differentiated points are forced. Therefore, I realized that this differentiated competitiveness and individuality were intertwined, causing individuality to become distorted.

I love soccer. I'm also planning to participate in a soccer tournament. Since I love soccer, I can say that I pour my time and passion into soccer, and that I am someone who plays soccer. That's my individuality. But other people can also love soccer like me. They can also participate in tournaments. That's their individuality. If our individualities overlap like this, according to my past thinking, individuality couldn't be applied to anyone. But now I've learned that this is individuality.

I keep trying to come up with something special. I feel like I'm living under the compulsion that I absolutely must be different from other people. But here, the very act of coming up with something special and thinking that I absolutely must be different is also individuality. If that person has that kind of value system, then that's just it.

In conclusion, we must ultimately accept all those things as individuality. If that's their belief, we should respect it. The moment we say it's not, we are hindering that person's individuality, and if this is excessive, it can even turn into violence.

Therefore, accepting my true self as it is, and acting accordingly, can be considered individuality.

Going further, I want to emphasize "action" beyond just recognizing my true self. I think that if I just recognize myself and stop there, I won't truly understand individuality. When I act that way, my individuality is truly completed.

If I love soccer but don't play it and just sit still, it would be difficult to call this true individuality. If I only think, "I am this kind of person," but don't act on it, it becomes nothing. As social animals, we resolve the essential individuality of human beings through action and manifestation, and only then can we recognize that this is what it means to be ourselves.

A competitive society is making us forget our true selves. Because the world is so intense and the economy is difficult, we are forced to live according to the standards demanded by the world. I hope that an atmosphere of acknowledging and respecting our true selves will be formed. I hope that we can live without wearing personas, masks of relationships, expressing our thoughts, and not worrying about what others think.

#MonthlyRingchin #FebruaryIssue #DeepThoughts #MyLife #Individuality #WeakSolidarity