Be Yourself

Ralph Waldo Emerson said of trying to be like someone you're not that "Imitation is suicide." On that same note, my dad said, "Always be yourself. If you try to be someone else, you are standing in thin air and will fall flat on your face" Robert G. Mouritsen. I agree with Emerson that in some philosophical way, imitating someone else kills the integrity of what makes you who you are. However, if imitation were suicide, then we wouldn't really feel the consequence of imitating. I like my dad's quote better because when we imitate, people will know it. Or, at the very least, we will know it and we'll "fall flat on our face" in that we'll probably feel hurt and embarrassed because we won't know what we're doing and we we'll probably be misunderstood. We'll probably be able to "get ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again," but after we've had hurt feelings and even felt embarrassed first. I'm not suggesting that when you be yourself, you will never feel hurt or embarrassed but you will have the integrity of being true to yourself and that has to be some consolation. Here's another quote he shared with me when I was a new teacher, Peggy Noonan (a former speech writer for President Ronald Reaganand the author of six books on politics and culture, presently on hiatus from herWall Street Journal to serve as an unpaid consultant to the RNC).Election 2004: Both SidesThe Washington PostFriday, October 22, 2004:

“There is an odd thing in life where when enough people celebrate you you start to think you’re a high and serious person. It is good in life to remember that ‘what you think of me is none of my business,’ and one should be oneself, apart from and ignoring the cheers and boos.”

My dad told me to think of my older brother Robert when I feel like I'm lacking the courage to be myself. Robert is very brave and he's always himself. He doesn't let peer pressure or the fear of what other people will think get him down. And I have always admired him for that. Thanks, Robert!