There’s a saying that goes, “if you want to find a friend, look for a challenge.” I tend to agree with that sentiment. It’s a challenge to figure out what makes us feel insecure.
I can see this being something that many people in high school or college struggle with. When I was in high school, I remember being asked to pose for a picture with just my eyes and a smile. I remember being so nervous about that. In college, I was trying to have a conversation with someone and trying to look confident. I wasn’t good at it, and was nervous.
I don’t think it’s something I am inherently insecure about. I think I am just very aware of the difference between feeling secure and feeling insecure.
A person who is aware of the difference between feeling secure and feeling insecure may be more likely to be able to navigate the waters of high-pressure situations that are often portrayed in movies and in media. It means that when you are nervous you have to ask yourself “does this person really want me to do this?” If you decide that they don’t, that’s when the real panic sets in because you are trying to make a decision that’s probably the wrong one.
In our research we found that individuals who are aware of their own identity and sense of self-worth are able to better navigate challenges and problems.
The problem is that when you are aware of who you are, you are not able to be aware of other people. So when a crisis comes at you, you are not able to get a handle on it, because you are not able to figure out if this is a real crisis or if it is just a movie crisis. So you can’t say, “Okay, I’m going to do this.” “I’m going to do this.” “I’m going to do this.
The issue is that if you are aware of who you are and you are aware of other people, you are not able to think, “Okay, what about this? What about this? What about this? What about this?” So you end up reacting to things that are not real. You end up reacting to a crisis and saying, “Okay, this needs to be fixed.” And that is not how I want to react to a crisis.
It’s not just the issues of identity. We’re also all in this together with the problems of racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination. We can all use the tools of self-awareness to help address these issues. We can try our best to keep everyone safe. That is what we should be doing.
The reality is that we don’t always have the time and energy to do those things properly. In fact, it’s not like we’re actually going to be able to do so much. We’ll have to let the “good guys” in on what we need to change the world because they are the ones who need to be able to change the world. We have to allow others to take the blame of things and make them better by making them better.
I have to tell you right now that I am very proud of all of you for being so bold and brave. This was a lot of things and it was not always easy to take action. You have been doing amazing things and you can’t thank you enough. We have learned a lot, not just about you, but the whole human race. It’s been great. But that’s not saying that you are not human, because you are.