If I asked you to think of at least three fake people in your life right now, could you do it? Chances are, the answer is yes. Perhaps you’re even reading this with a friend right now and you each thought of each other.
That would make you both fake for pretending to enjoy each other’s company and sharing a Pipe Dream. But I digress. The point is, it’s getting harder and harder to meet genuine, real people these days. Talking behind people’s backs, conforming to societal norms and not being true to oneself have started to become the norm rather than the exception.
Understandably, no one’s perfect, but if you were able to play back your entire life, would you be able to call yourself real?
Everyone talks shit behind each other’s backs, I get that. I’m not talking about the petty things like “Yeah, Mike hooks up with the ugliest girls” or “You know, Julie really deserved that yeast infection.” I’m talking about completely tearing apart someone’s character to friends, then acting like you’re best friends with the person when you see him/her five minutes later.
That, my friends, is fake. I’m not saying being real is finding everyone you hate and beating the shit out of them. Most of you are from Long Island and that would only lead to a bunch of catfights regardless of your gender. Being real is disliking a person and limiting your interaction with them if you want nothing to do with them. If you’re forced to see a person you have problems with on a daily basis due to particular circumstances, take the issue up with them personally, not everyone else in the world but them.
Over my past four years at college, I’ve accumulated tons of people on my shit list, and I’m sure I’ve made it onto plenty myself. I refuse to be friends with any of these people, and actually respect those who don’t like me and don’t pretend to be my friend.
People also have a tough time being true to themselves and refusing to conform to society. Coming into freshman year, I knew whoever my roommate was would probably think I was weird for tuning in to wrestling every Monday night, but I didn’t care. Watching John Cena and Hornswoggle was one of my top priorities behind food and sleep. Luckily for me, my new roommate Joe also watched, but once word got around about our Monday Night Raw parties, our friends called us “gay” and “childish.” I’m not sure how that correlates to me enjoying sex with men or wearing a diaper, but I still continue to watch to this day.
Being true to yourself is holding onto your values and principles regardless of what others say or do. You can’t allow others to unduly influence your actions and preferences. Following popular trends and fads is selling yourself short. If you have to question changing something about yourself to fit in, reject the conformity and embrace the difference.
So you may be asking who epitomizes realness in this day and age. My answer? Charlie Sheen. No, this isn’t an easy cop out joke. Think about it. Regardless of what the rest of the world is saying about him, he keeps blurting dumb shit without caring. He’s being himself, even if that is a cokehead who wants to build a mansion with a porn family. He’s not changing and I say good for him. Maybe I’ll even send him an invite to one of my Raw parties in exchange for an invite to his mansion.