ACT. SAT. GPA. Weight. Bank Balance. Size. We are constantly under pressure to confine to numbers.
In high school, everything is about your test scores. Your self worth seems to be defined by how well you did on those standardized tests. Your GPA defined you, and seemed to determine your future. Well into college, that number seems to loom over your head, dictating how well you will do in the professional world. Just think! That only encompasses your academic life!
Physically, we can come to feel defined by even more meaningless numeric digits. How many times a day are we made to feel insecure due to the size of our skirts or the digits on the scale? Too frequently are we judged based on the amount of space we take up, and focus too much on the numeric value than how we look or how we feel. The best part? Even outside of petty social competitive circles reminiscent of middle school dances and Aeropostale shirts, we still are driven to measure up to our peers. How often do we check our followers and friends on every social media site? Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr...... it's all about the ratio, am I right?
Don't forget Facebook, in its golden hour, where having the most friends was the best way to secure your social status. Likes become currency. Every post, every tweet, and every status is shared as an intent to get recognition for those numbers. We buy friends, popularity, and recognition with every single thing we share. It's not necessarily an intended competition, but at the end of the day, we end up comparing ourselves to other people. This comparison creates a loop of individuals bringing themselves down for not being as pretty, as smart, as funny, etc. as other individuals. By doing this, we take away this notion of being individual.
So, you're probably wondering why I just listed all the things people judge you for and how you make that a part of your self-definition. It's because non of them matter. The things that define you are things that cannot be measured. Your passions, your pursuits, and your purpose define you. To quote Fall Out Boy, "You are what you love, not who loves you." We shouldn't be ashamed of playing the number game; it's just a part of the system in which we live. It's nearly impossible to avoid measuring up, so the important thing to remember is that when we do it, we are worth more than whenever we think the measurement says. Self worth doesn't come from numbers. Self worth doesn't come from comparison. It comes from how you treat others, the things you love, and how you carry on with the knowledge that you are more than a number.
