#BENOTLIKEBILL

As a Filipino, it has been a way of life to easily criticize those who are disparate to the norms of society. It has been discerned that those who does not fit the standards of the majority are considered delinquents, mentally ill and rejects from the factory of uniformity. Past generations and the new age has been taught to respect what is pleasing to the eye and ostracize the ones that don’t: and to those who speak their creative minds are often mocked and left alone to question themselves and also their existence.

There will come a time in the future that we will all look identical. The essence of the word “uniqueness” will fade and heterogeneity will be flouted. For all I know, I don’t want to live in a world where self-expression is considered a sin; where respect is nothing but selective. Our parents teach us to be practical in everything that we want to do in life because today, we struggle to live—but what is living without actually fully living ourselves? We are all trying to be alive, we are all fighting to be alive and in order for us to survive—we must pull ourselves from the mainstream and create a different path that lets us live our own authentic selves. One of the main cause of people being miserable with themselves is because they lack what they call a vent: they are so caught up with the world around them—being constantly constrained by the dos and don’t’s in life which, in turn, holds them back from expressing what they really are inside. Uniqueness is everywhere, you see it in your classmates, your colleagues, your mom, your dog, your partner and in yourself; my point is, everyone is literally the epitome of the word “unique” but then, it is utterly overlooked and is considered a virus. No one appreciates uniqueness these days—they tell us to be skinny, to be fair skinned, to be successful and to be everything that isn’t in your best interest.

Who cares if your Black, White, Asian, gay, Christian, Muslim, if you have acne scars, or you harm yourself, if you like Lady GaGa's outfits, you prefer metal instead of blues, you can’t play piano, you’re not good in math and illiterate? You shouldn’t hide from your shell—but if you can’t live without your shell, you can at least go out sometimes and color it the way you want to. Don’t be like Bill, who is a stick man created by social norms.