Outdated Social Norms and Why It is Time to Break Them
It is time for some big truths. We have lots of myths and naughty outdated beliefs in our society.
Now, these beliefs might have been useful before. They might have work prior to our good, during different generations, yet the world has changed.
And you are probably aware, Queen, that it is changing at an even more drastic rate than it used to.
I'll like to use for it my favourite term "Models of Reality" (created by Vishen Lakhiani), which generally represents the ways how we perceive the world. The ways how we model our vision of reality. Sounds kinda cool, Queen, doesn't it?
These models are our navigating systems in the world based on the environment we have grown in, both internal and external; such as our families, circle of friends, culture norms and etc.
Models of Reality are mostly based on the norms "how we supposed to live, to behave and act" in order to fit to the society.
What happens when you do not follow these rules?
You become an outsider. The outlier that does not fit, looks weird to other people and are generally "lost in the world". We absolutely think that we should find a psychologist for that person...
Some of these beliefs might not even seem outdated or harming, as they become the normal ways of lifestyle such as:
a necessity to go to school/university in order to get a job,
never change your career,
work from 7 to 5,
get married if you want a serious relationship,
have a baby at the age of 22
While these represent the major norms how most people live in our world, we need to understand that these created beliefs are not the necessities for people to flourish in their lives and be happy.
You can find a job without going to school or university.
You can open a company without studying how to do it.
You can be happy and in love without getting married.
You can change careers as much as you want to.
You do not need to work 8 hours a day to have enough money.
You do not need to have kids at a young age.
In fact, you do not need to have kids at all, if that is what you wish for.
We create rules to fit in the culture, yet we often forget that these rules might be restrictions keeping us stuck in the comfort zones.
It does not mean that having some sort of living standards is bad, it just means that in our ever-changing-society we all can have different kind of living standards.
Yet, many standards literally have changed.
Think about it, we have names that other people identify us with, yet our names do not say anything about our true personality.
We have nationalities that do not really identify our humanity efforts and empathy levels.
We literally surround ourselves with rules, which is an essence of keeping us sane.
Yet, while it helps to create order, it also kills the dreams, beautiful ideas & projects that can be shared with the world. The world, which might benefit from it.
So what we can do?
We can question those rules. We simply can question the behaviours and constantly ask ourselves " Is that really the truth or it is the imaginative truth that we create?".
Do not let others put you into stereotypical boxes.
Because it is time to break some outdated beliefs that do not fit us anymore. It is time to say "No, this does not suit me and there is nothing wrong in me choosing another path".
#stereotypes #modelsofreality #socialnorms #thewayshowwelive #tipsforlife