A Quiet Mama's Boy...

That was a reply from one of Terry's friends when he queried them on what he(?)/she(?) thought of me.

To be honest, it's not as bad as it sounds. What's wrong with being reserved and filial? Both "qualities" probably don't fit the stereotype of someone on the cusp of adulthood - but I find them pretty much desirable.

Of course, this is discounting the fact that those might be the nicest things he(?)/she(?) could say about me. Perhaps I also looked like a conniving, malicious poseur suffering from mispositioned teeth and malnutrition. If so, I thank him(?)/her(?) for not saying that out loud.

Anyway, the point is that the little comment made me think about something.

It's known as loving and accepting who you are.

I'm not going to deny it really. I'm quiet before strangers, truly a Mama's and Papa's boy, slow to anger, totally uncool, desperately casual in my dress sense and politically incorrect.

That's who I am - and it's who you will see whether you're an Indian, Chinese, Malay, Eurasian, Elitist, Beggar, Friend, Foe, Alive, Dead, Animal, Alien, etc.

I never put on a mask - and I see no need to.

If I don't like you, I won't hide it. If I dislike something in society I'll speak up.

It is simply part of who I am - and I'm proud of that.

Though I believe that it's a really bad idea to hide your true persona behind fallible facades that might fail anytime, I can certainly see why.

Acceptance of course. Both by you, and by the people around you.

Many of us look in the mirror each day and hope we can alter some physical flaws - but hey, that's pretty normal. What's bad is trying to change your personality - or invent a fake one - to conform to the demands of others.

There are 6.5 billion people in the world. And the only thing that can thoroughly distinguish us from someone else is our personality. It is our unique identity.

So show it. Or lose it.