Self Expression
Can anybody tell me exactly what is meant by self expression? I’m sure it means different things to different people, ranging from a hairstyle to having a relationship. Whatever it means to you, there’s an unusual, not-so-common view of the term which is — being comfortable in your skin; or put in another way, do not delude yourself.
Have you ever wondered how many times you have had to wear masks so you can give positive impressions about yourself to colleagues, friends and even family? I guess we’ve all been down that road a few times before. Even Jack Welch, the legendary former CEO of General Electric(GE), also wore masks at some points in his career. So it’s OK, it’s all part of being human.
Now but here’s a subtle difference between wearing masks due to human imperfections and outright self delusion under the pretext of self expression — the former is occasional, the latter is habitual.
Self expression has a lot to do with mature self confidence, tolerance, critical thinking, problem solving, free will, freedom and above all responsibility. I’m certain many readers will be puzzled by the inclusion of free will and freedom. I feel them asking in their minds, “…. what’s the difference, aren’t they supposed to mean the same thing?”
Well now here again is the difference between free will and freedom. Free will is a free gift from God which allows you make your choices and live with them invariably. No other human being can take away your free will without your permission. Freedom is concerned with civil rights and is primarily granted by the government of different nations with reference to an individual’s conformity to certain stipulated codes of conduct. Often times, it comes at a price and could be manipulated. A good example is the freedom granted the former South African President, Nelson Mandela; while he lost his civic freedom in prison his free will was never touched. To support this, some experts have said that the greatest freedom is that freedom which allows every individual express their free will. Nelson Mandela positively exercised his god-given free will and put an end to the apartheid era in his country. That is SELF EXPRESSION!
Finally, let’s embrace the virtues of true self expression — mature self confidence, tolerance, critical thinking, problem solving, free will, freedom and responsibility. By the same token, let’s eschew all appearances that mimick the expression of our true selves; in two words- AVOID MASKS!
