Random Shootout
We only live once, as far as we remember at least, but we still cannot take 'the road less traveled'. Why, because we're civilized beings. Why, because we're far developed. The reality is it's because we are seriously worried about being accepted by others.
As many of us know, Freud talks about a superego that binds us to act according to the norms created by society, he's right. Our "Id," which are the natural instincts of sex or aggression have to be contained by the Superego, so that we don't do anything outside the framework of societal morality. Your personality, or 'Ego' is characterized by how much Id and Superego you add in your mixture of behavior. Well, I think it's not only these that we have to suppress in order to be a part of society; it's also our hearts and thoughts.
The main character, Holden Caulfield, in the famous book "The Catcher in the Rye" says: 'I'm always saying 'Glad to've met you' to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though'. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Just like this unique example Caulfield gives, we have to do loads of stuff just to satisfy the requirements of the majority 'to stay alive', which would indirectly be useful to us as well. When you think about these kinds of things, you begin questioning why people cannot act in accordance with their inner feelings, but be regulated this much by the superego.
The answer is rather simple: necessity. People need people to survive. People need a moral framework to be able to get along with people in peace. Then, people need morality to survive if they're meant to live together. Never mind, forget it. Just try otherwise. Have you ever tried to make a list of songs that symbolizes the important turning points in your life? You should, and maybe you'll know yourself better in the end. The list of old songs, which are spread among years, define how much you've changed over time, and how different you react to the settled norms of the outside world. After coming to the last song, if you still question what you're gonna do with your extreme hidden feelings, like a love that gives you a secret energy to spend in your 'waking life'; then you're in pretty good shape.
'Hearts and thoughts, they fade. Fade away'.

Efe Peker (POLS/IV)