Perception and identity - Editorial by Chris McCahill

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”- Dr. Seuss

I’m not sure if it’s because of the internet, social media or if it’s something else, but in today’s world we seem to be obsessed with image and perception. As a generation of people, we constantly fret about how the world perceives us, whether our impression upon other people is positive or negative. We create multiple personas, showing off a different side of ourselves to different people or groups. Ask yourself: do you show the same side of yourself to your best friend that you do to your family, class or work mates, or do you have a totally different person that you show to yourself and another that you show in public? I wonder, have we become so obsessed with our own image and how we’re seen that we are no longer comfortable with who we are; do we fear rejection, humiliation or outright hatred if we are completely honest about who we are to the world, or is it a case where, in order to fit in or to gain acceptance, that we change who we are? Similarly, I ask how honest are people with themselves - do people attach themselves to certain groups, trends or ways of life in order to completely avoid asking themselves the question of who they really are? Of course, we all grow and change over time, and our identity will undoubtedly develop and change too, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be honest with ourselves and be who we really are; and should you lose a friend or friends over it, so be it. As Dr. Seuss said: “those who mind don’t matter.”