The nature of choosing to swim against the tide

[mahatma]

In a recent thread, the learned and by all accounts awesome Valmorel stated that he has spent his life swimming against the tide and hasn't regretted a minute of it. At the time I read his comment I just took it at face value. I didn't hear the click in my head telling me that something profound was just uttered. But, the thought stayed with me. It stayed with me because it largely applied. I mean, I was never one to run around breaking the rules just because there was a rule to be broken or intentionally stood against the norm just because it was the norm. I'm a regular, God fearing, law abiding, tax paying citizen that tries to maintain a low profile and when I can be of value to my fellow human being. But, when I look back on both my personal and professional activities I have chosen (consciously or unconsciously) to swim against the tide. To stand facing prevailing winds. Skiboarding, as Valmorel pointed out is one example. It's one of those things that we who are doing it "get it". We know. But, prevailing thinking is we are some weird, even less than offshoot of skiing. While the comparisons are obvious the question remains - why have we chosen this? What makes us swim upstream? It's an important question. Just throwing it out there.

My knee jerk, internal reaction is that I'd rather sing soaking wet in the rain than curse under an umbrella any day.

But why?

[DennisEvans]

At the risk of sounding like a complete follower, I do agree with this post. While I may not be as experianced as you and Valmorel, I do act as an individual. I have been an idividual since I was a sophmore in high school, I just got tired of trying to be who everyone else wanted me to be and stopped caring about what people thougt of me. I do things that my friends hate (jump over and off of things) and dress however the hell I want. Generally I try to change up my style every couple of months to keep it interesting and people hate it. They hate it because, as a whole, society loves to judge people on what they look like, and I will admit it, I do it.

[FightingForAir]

Lao Tzu had this dead on in my opinion and I think it's pretty simple. It's not about consciously setting out to be different as much as it is just not setting up resistance to who we are and what we do. When we seek joy and fullfilment and pleasure and truth from our lives without presupposition or concern with how that may be viewed, we will just naturally gravitate towards those things that are rewarding for us ... and sometimes that will be different than what most everyone else may be doing.

I can relate to you and can contrast this with my stepdaughter. Image and status are far more important to her than substance. Clothes have to have the right label, her activities have to fit in with whatever her friends think is cool. Her mp3 player cannot be just any good mp3 player ... it has to be an IPOD Touch or nothing at all. As a result, she's missing a lot of substance and spends her time trying to be something she's not. She sets up resistance in her life and it shows. She's constantly at war with herself and is wasting away her God-given talents in life because those activities aren't "cool".

She cannot "simply be". Until she can, she'll never be genuine/authentic.

Go with the flow, find a passion and chase it, do what your heart mind and soul drive you to do ... and happiness and contentment are right there waiting.

Who cares whether that's with the tide or against it? Doesn't matter one bit.

[EmptiMind]

Honestly, I love being different. So, that may change my decisions slightly. But I like to think that I've made choices based upon other reasons.

Skiboarding is simply the best way to slide across the snow that I've found. I used to ski, did twin tips, did snowboarding. Then I landed on something that I couldn't get enough of.

Instead of following the main, and getting an iPod I choose to get a lesser known brand. I don't want to have to use proprietary software, or be forced to rely on hardware that is known to break shortly after warranties expire. My phone provider is Helio (who?) I simply went with them because I get 50% off their service. I always wear a blazer, because lets face it, it gets damn cold in Washington, and a blazer just looks better than a hoodie.

Don't eat meat for moral reasons, don't watch TV because commercials annoy me, don't drink carbonated beverages or other sugar drinks for health reasons, don't sleep because I'm an insomniac, don't drink alcohol because alcoholism runs in my family, don't do drugs because their simply stupid, don't gamble because I have better things to waste my money on.

I'd rather walk than drive my car, not only for health, but I'm trying to reduce my carbon footprint. I drink soy milk because I'm lactose intolerant. I wear my hair long because I don't like foreheads. I have a beard because I'm self-conscious about a double-chin I used to have.

Why do I choose to be different? Eh, you got me. But it seems I'm predisposed to be a non-conformist.

But I think FFA is on the right track. Rather than going out of my way to be someone I'm not, I just get through life being exactly who I am.