People are not always what they seem. They plaster a fake smile on their faces and compliment how much they love your outfit, even if it’s a raggedy old sweatshirt. They soak up all your secrets and swear to never tell a soul, but spill your confession to the nearest person. They pretend to be honest, when in reality, the only word to describe them is dishonest. They are walking contradictions, paradoxes, hiding behind a fake exterior. Who can I trust in this sea of pretenders?

They say life is too short to be fake. They, as in philosophers, preach how one should be true to his/her self. But how do you stay true when your identity is “different?” No one talks to themselves in the hallways or randomly starts singing in the lunchroom. That only happens in the movies.

Society pressures us to fit a certain mold. We’re supposed to be “normal,” yet individualistic. What a contradiction. I’ll admit, I’ve had days when I just want to break out in song or spontaneously curse at a person just to see their facial expression. Luckily, that’s when my social filter kicks in. But for the person who defies that social filter for one instance, they are either labeled or idolized.

And although we are all simultaneously trying to fit into society, the truth is none of us really fit in at all.