You Don't Need the World's Permission to Be You

You. Don't. Need. Permission.

You don't need permission to be who you are.

SOCIETY has tricked us into believing that we do.

The world has spun an entire web of lies,

Making you believe that certain parts of you

Are unwarranted

Are unworthy

Are unwholesome even.

Your soul has layers!

Your thoughts

Your dreams

Your visions

Your goals:

Those are all apart of you.

Your culture

Your belief system

Your skin color,

All of these things are apart of you!

Yes the world has standards for who gets to express these things.

Well let me tell you something:

It's time you stand up for who you are!

Your dreams, your beliefs, your culture,

Those are all yours!

The world cannot take those away from you!

You're you, and the thought of anyone discriminating against you

Just for being you in your pure authenticity

Is sickening and vulgar!

Why try to fit the mold of people's ideas?

What is this idea that being yourself isn't good enough?

YOU are special.

The world doesn't get to decide that, YOU do.

The world doesn't determine your value, YOU do.

I speak in abstract terms,

But can't you see the truth oozing

From my heart right now?

It's not about what your peers think.

It's about what you believe about you.

It's not even what I think about you,

But what you think about you.

Don't ask for my permission to be who you are.

Just be you.

If you're quiet, by all means be quiet.

IF you're loud, well DAMN IT, be loud!

If you're passionate, well then be passionate.

If you're any of those things and want to change,

By all means, change.

It's your choice.

I'm not here to tell you what you can and can't be.

I just think you deserve to know

That you're not a carbon copy.

You're an original.

And if the world can't understand that,

Well, let 'em miss out.

(Written August 14, 2018, edited June 9, 2019)