the grass should always be greener on our side

Beyond the humorous exterior of Jim Hall’s Spiderman poem lies a deeper truth that we could all relate to. We all possess flaws that we would like to change, parts of ourselves that we consider imperfect and are often ashamed of. For some it is introversion, others impatience, arrogance, an argumentative nature, a lack of humor, the list goes on. Sometimes our flaws may even be considered something good by another’s standards but for some reason we have a tendency to look at the dark side of things. One way or another we find that the grass is greener on the other side; we find ourselves wishing that we possessed someone else's qualities that we do not have.

Locating your flaws is not something that is terribly difficult, but as I sat in my room reflecting on my imperfections I found the task of making them public rather difficult. Needless to say, the open nature of our English class blogs scared me away from writing honestly. As I mulled over what defect of mine could be credible yet not too personal to expose to around 59 curious students I came to a sudden realization: my worries over broadcasting my flaws to my peers was in itself my biggest limitation, my “fwame-wesistant suit” that I dream of burning. I feel that this “fwame-wesistant suit” is in one way or another shared by everyone out there. At the core of our insecurities is the desire to be able to flaunt our flaws proudly. Think about it--don't we all wish that we could let go of our doubts and expose ourselves to the world as we are? We all wish to be accepted and although we often believe that the easiest way to do so is to modify our personalities to conform to society’s standards, it is probably less complicated to be ourselves. Yes, there will be those people in your life that just cannot seem to get past the fact that you are a bit strange or lack the right kind of humor, but chances are you will find people who accept you for who you are and when it comes down to it, it is probably better if the people you hang out with could not care less that you like to sing loudly at school.

In conclusion, I believe that we should all attempt to wear our “fwame-wesistant suits” with confidence and pride. More often than not we cannot shed the integral pieces that create our characters, for they are our identities and make us who we are. Therefore, what we must learn to do instead is accept our defects and embody an attitude that says, “If you don’t like who I am, then I am certainly okay with that.”