Let's take a stroll down memory lane, and visit ol' Short Alpha's quest to becoming interesting and successful. I hope this will be of value to you Mr. or Mrs. Reader, as it is therapeutic to me. It is 2am and I have slept little, so bear with me.
In primary school, I was neither in the popular group nor was I a part of the nerds. I was an Inbetweener. At lunch times I played soccer or rugby with the sport nuts, and I also engaged with the kids playing Pokemon, in card form and Gameboy. The social hierarchy of primary school is a dynamic phenomenon which changes on the utter whims of prepubescent children. All it takes is for the cool kid to be seen crying when their mums drives away and bam, he's a social outcast. Yet at the same time, humans have short memories and someone else will come a long and draw the spotlight off you. So you get plenty of chances to change your position in the pecking order. Your classmate comes to school with the newest fad eg. Tech Deck or Pokemon cards. For some reason this has been endorsed by everyone else, and now you can jump in and be one of them. And as usual, that is no longer in vogue and the next fad comes around just as quickly as the last. Now you have to start all over again to be a part of the tribe. This is tribalism at it's earliest form for young people.
Do you remember a kid or a small group of kids in your grade, who never really fell too far down the hierarchical ladder? Phil got a new Mongoose bike, now everyone wants a Mongoose. James brought Tazo's to school, now everyone is collecting them. There are usually a select few people who control what's in and what's out. And we follow along, because conformity is safe and being an individual is is likely to be social suicide. High school is even worse. Your fashion sense, your music tastes and your belief systems are all being scrutinised by everyone around you. For example. In Year 8, I came to school on Free Dress Day wearing a Johnny Blaze jersey. Within minutes of walking into the school, the toughest guy in the grade was throwing shade at me about my dress choice. Holy fuck, I was wrecked after that. I had to go another 6 hours wearing this attire that wasn't acceptable to my peers. Ouch. To quote Marge Simpson "Children can be so cruel!" Lesson learned. I remember I had a friend in Year 8 who was a colossal Blink 182 fan. The guy could play all the songs on guitar and worshipped Tom Delonge. Then come one Monday, he's done a complete "182" and decided they're the worst band ever and has moved onto a more refined and niche side of punk rock. And anyone who said they liked Blink from there on out, was a loser. Just like that.. huh.
School is a jungle. But the real world is worse. All of a sudden, you no longer have the safety of the social hierarchy at school, and you're thrown into a different world with different rules. It's now time to reinvent yourself. You're an adult now, officially. So it's time to look at making choices for your future. But you just turned 18, and you're legally allowed to buy alcohol and cigarettes. And... vote for the leaders of the country. This is a lot of responsibility to take on off the bat. Most of us don't really understand politics, or responsible drinking. We flock to a herd who have ideals on politics and social science, which gives us agency. Your friends are getting maggot every Friday night, so we do too. We're apart of a tribe, yet again. Because it's safe there. But we're not noticeable in the grand scheme of things. We're not individualistic enough to stand out.
It took me until age 25 to really come to terms with my own existence, and desires for my own growth. I started picking up different hobbies that peaked my interest. Some worked out and most didn't last long. Due to my career choice, I was no longer able to socialise and do the same routine I had been doing. I spent time learning about the world, both by reading and by experiencing. As you wade your way through the jungle waters of life, you start to make sense of the system that is designed for you. You build up a cache of wisdom and scars to prove it. Your fundamental beliefs and ideals have changed course due to your own soul searching and challenges. And with time and experimentation, you have learned more about yourself than you ever did before.
In summary, being an interesting man is a project that starts with thinking for yourself,and most importantly, spending time by yourself. There are rules and laws invoked on you; some are beneficial and others are not. But you must break the chains off and experience life. Question everything you've learned in the past. You are no longer playdoh, being moulded to your parents fragile ego's or under scrutiny of your classmates. You are free to pursue anything you want and have your own thing going. You are now in control.
Short Alpha
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