Be Yourself

It always fascinates me as to how fashions and trends influence us.  That is why advertising is such big business.  They say a crowd attracts a crowd, and so it does.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with joining in with good things.  It makes a lot of sense.  However, there are always those times when we ought to stand up for ourselves and be individuals.  Sometimes we need to buck the trend - whatever the trend may be - and to have the courage of our convictions.  I have been reading Christopher Jamison's Finding Sanctuary (Phoenix, 2006) and was particularly struck by something he says - (p. 84) - "People fail to be themselves because it is easier ro be somebody else and because they can copy somebody else's success rather than risk their own failure."  He goes on to quote Thomas Merton (from Seeds of Contemplation) - "People are in a hurry to magnify themselves by imitating what is popular - and too lazy to think of anything better.  ....  In order to become myself I must cease to be what I always thought I wanted to be."