Do you ever stop and think about how much importance people give to the smallest, most insignificant, inconsequential details? If you put your mind to it and analyze everyday situations, you will find a myriad of examples proving the point that people should stop caring about what others think, and just do as they please.
Example #1: Choosing where to sit in the shuttle. People are taught from the time they are little that where one sits is of utmost importance. Through the use of seemingly simple concepts such as musical chairs and duck, duck, goose, people are taught that sitting is a big deal. Choosing where to sit in the shuttle says a lot about who you are. If there are several empty seats and you sit next to someone, you’re a creep. If there are several empty seats and you sit way in the back, you’re a hermit, a loner. If there is only one available seat left and you choose to stand, you’re a jerk because you wouldn’t sit next to that person.
Example #2: Urinal selection. This only applies to men, but choosing the correct urinal is extremely telling of someone. If there are three urinals — with the one on the far right being used — and you choose the middle one, then you either have privacy issues or have a serious case of penile hubris. And the worst one: If you choose a toilet over a urinal, you’re a girl.
Example #3: Eating by yourself at the Caf. Every day during lunch, I see countless people getting their food to go. Granted, some of them might have a good reason for doing so, such as being in a rush, but some people do so to avoid social awkwardness. Because if you eat by yourself you must have severe social issues. If you eat by yourself, you have no friends, and there is definitely something very wrong with you.
Example #4: Texting. The two most powerful letters in the alphabet are K and Y. If you text someone: “K,” you hate him or her. If you text someone “Kk,” you couldn’t care less about the person you’re texting. If you text, “Kkk,” you’re in love. If you text someone, “Hey,” you are either just being nice or are friend-zoning the person. If you add another Y it is a symbol of affection. If you add two more Ys, you are ready for wedding bells. And if you add two more Ys on top of those, you’re drunk. There are many texting examples, such as the infamous “Haha” versus the “Hahaha,” but for the sake of avoiding a rant, those will be excluded.
The aforementioned cases serve a purpose: To let people know that sometimes, we give too much importance to what others think of us. We shouldn’t. You should be able to sit wherever you want to sit on the shuttle, pee wherever you want to pee — as long as it’s in a urinal or toilet, of course, eat wherever and whenever you want to eat, as long as it’s not in a urinal or toilet, of course, and text in whichever way you feel like texting.
As Bernard Baruch would say, “Be who you are and say what you want to feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
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Follow Ricardo Avila on Twitter: @RAvila27
