This battle is infinitely more interesting – the battle with yourself to get rid of the tyranny of other people’s views.
Sunday morning for me is a run. In the park, which, in principle, should be a pleasant experience. It’s kind of like a ritual for me. In our society, where everyone can do what they want, when they want, we need to establish such tiny rituals for ourselves. With the joys that come with them. They are also needed because they create discipline and structure time.
By the way, I myself feel that otherwise I would have taken advantage of the slightest excuse not to run anywhere, but to lie in bed. For example, due to bad weather. Sometimes a few gray clouds are enough to dampen my motivation. And in vain – because I run better in cloudy weather than in the sun. Not because of the light, but because there is not a soul around. And there is no misanthropy here, I really love people.
This battle is infinitely more interesting – the battle with yourself to get rid of the tyranny of other people’s views.
The problem is that as soon as there are enough of them, I already run differently than before. I catch myself reflexively picking up the pace. The rational and rational consciousness dormant inside me immediately declares indignantly: “Me too, runner! What do you think – they are delightedly watching your miserable jogging along the path?
But consciousness cannot do anything when the body obeys only itself. We all happen every day to feel like we’re being pushed onto a stage, under the gaze of others. In the most ridiculous situations – when we dress carefully, getting ready for work, or when we park the car in an inconvenient place. This is because we live in a society of universal competition and mutual evaluation.
There is nothing that cannot be evaluated, there is not a moment when we do not need to defend our image. In this collective game, self-respect and self-esteem are built in many respects. It is bad when such existential competition goes too far and we are too substituted for other people’s views. Even when no one is actually watching. After all, no one is eager to criticize my unfortunate achievements, people are walking around, that’s all.
Some family that I met on the alley thinks first of all about how it itself looks, and tries to inspire the impression of happiness and joyful harmony. So let’s beware of this hell – other people’s views. They can poison our lives. Instead of this ridiculous competition, there is an infinitely more interesting battle – a battle with oneself just to get rid of the tyranny of these views.
What difference does it make that it was not possible to squeeze the car into a narrow gap – you need to find the strength in yourself to laugh at this. Each such episode, even the tiniest one, is a victory for personal autonomy. Now the park is my goal. My new pleasure is to no longer feel frustrated when another runner rushes ahead of me, with all his appearance expressing contempt.
Poor man, I feel sorry for him!