I find the older I get the less self-conscious I become.....when I was younger I was self-conscious in all sorts of situations....nowadays that inner, critical 'they are gonna laugh at you voice' doesn't interfere anywhere with me anywhere near as much as it used to. How about you?
sure, i think most people are like that (certain presidents aside). talk to an old person sometime, they don't give a fuck what you think.
Happens to most of us as we get older... but some people gave zero fucks from the second they were born.
The older I get, I'm 32 now, start to realise that, no one gonna say shit to me anymore. Back when I was 18 adults be like, piss off you little brat! Now they ain't gonna say shit. Get away with much much more. Maybe I don't care as much either anymore. I carry myself quite well I think. I used to hate people looking at me, now I know they looking at my hat, I feel confident under my hat. Shoulders back, head up and walk proud.
I can relate. I think I was more self conscious about how I looked because I grew up around kids that made fun of you for everything. If you didn’t wear the latest fashions, if you didn’t talk a certain way, and the craziest thing I experienced, was being made fun of by other African American kids because I was too black,LOL! Yeah, those things bothered me as they would bother any kid in that situation, but I’m not phased about any of that anymore. It took maturity and a lifetime of experiences to become comfortable. However, when it comes to safety I’m more aware of my surroundings and what’s going than I used to be.
Understandable. When you're younger you are still tying to find your place in the world. Trying to adapt, find out who you are, where you belong in society. So naturally a younger person is going to be more self-conscious. An older person likely has already established a sense of identity. They found their group. And adapt perfectly well to society. Naturally there wouldn't be a need to be so self-conscious.
It's actually biological. There is a section in The Brain series where they get an adult, then a teenager to sit in a shop window while passersby stare at them. The teenage brain releases higher levels of stress hormones.
I keep my self consciousness and insecurities extremely private. For my eyes and thoughts only. Both of these negative human traits help me improve and set short/long term goals so I can constantly evolve to be the best I can be.......for yours truly.
Interesting point. In the programme they were both female. Do you think it would be different in men?
When I was at school, people joked about me being the nutty professor and little has changed over the following 60 years. In my early days, it was fixing skateboards, bikes and designing go-carts that kept me occupied, but now it ranges from everything from flooded houses, to theaters, film studios and airports, to the occasion that I was asked to solve problems at a nuclear power station, (not with the reactors, ) Perhaps the funniest moment, was when (at 13) one of my teachers asked me to have a look at his car. He was teaching for the rest of the day and I will never forget the look on his face when he returned to find that I had got a group of friends to help me remove the engine. A selector rod had come adrift in the gearbox, so what was I supposed to do.????? Your heightened awareness is no doubt due to your years in the military.. Last month while we were shopping, our daughter grabbed a teenage lad be the arm and kept him outside until a van arrived. Jane and I had no idea what she was doing and we were quite surprised when she casually announced that he was walking out with a rucksack full of stolen goods. Military and law enforcement completely changes your outlook on life. PS, Christina is not out looking for trouble and prefers the easy option. When she gets called to the clubs and bars as the youngsters are shouting and jostling on their way out, she just sits in her car on the opposite side of the road, occasionally flashing the blue lights when necessary. 90% of the time, they sober up and head off home. Needless to say, her superiors like her methods, that allows them to get on with catching some real criminals. I am sure that your life in the military must have been very similar and given you the ability to pick out the ringleaders in a situation. PPS. Too black, that really made me laugh. Do you remember the story about Gandhi being removed from a bus in South Africa. When he was told that black people were not allowed on a white bus, he replied...... "I am just brown as a result of my ancestors living in the warm climate of India,,,,,,and by the way, you are a dirty shade of pink", No wonder he went on to achieve what most people thought was impossible.
Yes, I’m serious- too black, LOL! And when I said they were black too, they denied it and said they were brown. I assured them that there’s no difference to a lot of people who aren’t African American. It’s all hilarious now that I’m much older, but I tell you, it was challenging to deal with back then. It didn’t help that these kids were getting these thoughts from parents and other older family members.
I sometimes wonder to what extent skin colour is any more a divide among schoolboys than any other difference. Wearing glasses, I was called 4 eyes, all the time, while for anyone overweight it was even worse. One guy only answered to the name barrel. while John Harrigan was John Fatigan to everyone, including the teachers. The twins in our class were Fat Abbot and Skinny Abbot. I was at school at the time of mass immigration from Africa, due ti the uprising of Idi Amin and the resultant Massacres. The sports master simply created an all black football team. It actually gave the guys a sense of self worth in their new surroundings and they loved it. Likewise, Asian guys were automatically expected to play cricket. How life has changed, but not necessarily for the better.
As a fellow black man, i can relate and understand. But while we are on the topic i feel it is important for you to know that you ain't blacker than me. Remember, on this forum i'm the H.N.I.C. up in here.
