Recently, I wrote an article that had a lot of repercussion, the subject at hand was how sick the society we live in is and why not accepting what it offers us as normal is actually a healthy thing to do, although this can stigmatize us socially. and even make us look crazy to other human beings.
Of course, ultimately society is nothing more than our own creation—a manifestation of our collective mind. Society, therefore, can be changed the moment we make that decision, but before we can do that, we first need to change ourselves.
The best way for us to change is to question the beliefs we have traditionally held and to start thinking for ourselves in order to discover a way of living that really contributes to our well-being. For that reason, I would like to present you with 5 stupid and very harmful things that society has taught you and demanded, along with reasons why you should not believe or follow them:
1) “You must obey the authorities”
From a very early age, society influenced us not to believe in ourselves, not to listen to our inner voice and not to use our critical thinking. If we dared to do otherwise, we were destined to get into trouble.
Consequently, rather than creating and walking our own path, we follow a path predetermined by others, whether we like it or not.
We have accepted as normal the blindness of believing what the authorities tell us and obeying all the rules that are imposed on us, without stopping to question those beliefs in order to find the truth so that we can live the way we want and not the way we want to. that society expects.
It's no surprise that most people can't think for themselves or accept the responsibility they have for their own lives, which results in them falling victim to the decisions others make for them.
2) “You need to get married”
Love is a free bird and in most cases, marriage is a prison. Society has led us to believe that to be a happy and loving couple you have to get married. The reality, however, could not be further away and this is obvious from the fact that half of married couples end up in divorce.
Marriage is a way for people to possess the other, to make her their object and control her in order to feel secure in the idea that she will be there forever.
But how can anyone know how long this love will last?
Love comes and goes, but sometimes it goes too fast. So forcing that kind of relationship with someone you don't know will love in the future is stupid and immature.
3) “You need to buy a lot of things to be happy”
Many of us believe that to be happy we have to buy a lot of things, especially the most expensive ones.
Advertising has tricked us into believing that happiness is found in material objects and unless we have a lot of them, we are not able to enjoy ourselves.
But no matter how many possessions we have, we feel thirsty for more, because acquiring material objects simply cannot satisfy our emotional needs.
What we really need to be happy is to learn to relate to others, to pursue our passions, to develop a wholehearted attitude and to be grateful for the gifts that life offers us—and no amount of money in the world can buy that!
4) “You need to be rich to be successful”
In our debt-based economic system, we all need money to cover our basic needs and have the time and resources to acquire those things that give us satisfaction.
However, many people confuse financial accumulation with a successful life. They think that to be happy it is necessary to have a very large bank account.
Of course, they are not responsible for this. Ever since we were in elementary school, we've been led to believe that having money is the ultimate goal in life—without it, life is meaningless and purposeless, and if we fail to get it, then we fail ourselves.
In this way, we see almost everyone killing themselves to earn more and no matter how much they earn, they still feel sad and apathetic because they don't understand that success doesn't come from money, but from learning to live in harmony with ourselves. and with others.
5) “You have to be religious to be a good person”
Another stupid thing society charges you with is being “religious”. Many people have been taught by their parents, school and church that in order to have good morals and act in good faith with their fellow men, it is necessary to blindly believe in a religion and follow its dogmas without the right of doubt.
But I tell you one thing: this is absurd!
Being religiously indoctrinated is something that suppresses you in many ways. This is because following the tenets of a religion means that you will act in certain ways because a scripture or a power figure has instructed you, and not because you really wanted to and this is extremely negative both for you and for the well-being of the whole world. .
First, suppressing yourself fills your psyche with “self-hatred” because when you don't feel complete, loved and accepted for who you are, how can you love yourself? You can only hate yourself. And how can a person who hates himself be able to love others? No, loving yourself is the first step to loving your neighbor.
Furthermore, doing certain things just because your religion says they are good can be really harmful to both you and the people around you, even if you have the best of intentions. It is no wonder that some of humanity's worst atrocities have been done in the name of religion.
Last but not least, when you believe your religion is the only true one, you come to see other faiths and their followers as your enemies. Thus, organized religion generates hatred and conflict between people.
Having said all that, most of the world's major religions have important lessons to teach, so study them and learn what you can from them, but make sure you discard what you feel isn't right or helpful. And above all, do not alienate yourself to any ideology, whether religious or not.
***
Being deeply social beings with an immense need to connect and be loved by others, many of us live in order to receive social approval, fearful that if we do otherwise, we will be abandoned and face loneliness.
However, in this way we only repress ourselves and sacrifice our well-being. Obviously, forcing yourself to act a certain way just because you were told is not the wisest and healthiest decision to make.
Of course, rebelling against society is difficult, but absolutely necessary so that you can bring peace, happiness and freedom into your life and also create a more beautiful world for everyone.
So if you want to live better, you need to let go of the toxic beliefs that have been imposed on you and find the courage to say NO to society's stupid expectations, no matter what obstacles you have to face on your journey.
Written by Amanda Prieto of Team Me Without Borders
