Have you ever had that moment where you’re in a group or class or meeting of some kind and something is said or proposed that you just really appreciate or find interesting? You know how sometimes, before you catch yourself, you start to let yourself eagerly respond to what was said and then… you stop? Because people look at you weird? Being back in class again, I’m struck at how often I see it. I see it in myself. It’s that moment when we’re so excited about what we’re learning and so engaged – until our peripheral vision chimes in and we remember we aren’t the only person in the room, and suddenly being too excited is bad. It means we’re weird. We stand out. And that’s bad. People look at the person next to them with that wide-eyed, raised-eyebrow look as if saying, “WOWza, someone’s enthusiastic.*all metaphorically dripping with sarcasm.*”

Have you ever been in that position? When you catch yourself and very consciously remove the big grin off your face in favor of a more composed, neutral expression? Why is that?

When did it become socially unacceptable to get excited about things? We learn every day, and we often go out of our way to learn things if we like the topic enough. But somehow, sitting in a classroom taking an ordinary class, I feel as though I’m the odd one out if I’m actually enjoying myself. Granted, every person has subjects they enjoy and ones they don’t, but even so. In my observations, most people who are even in their field of choice keep their enthusiasm subdued.

So why is it? Our society paradoxically tells us to stand out all while silently shaming us for it. We’re only allowed to stand out if it falls in line with how everyone else chooses to stand out. So thus – we aren’t actually supposed to stand out. The media persecutes anyone who does, until everyone else catches on, and then suddenly it’s the thing to do! Ever notice that? Anyways, it seems as though we’ve all gotten to a point where blending in has been so deeply engrained in us that going against the current status quo means terrifying things. It doesn’t have to be that way though.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that society has already done a lot of damage in trying to curb our happiness – don’t let it steal our enthusiasm as well. If you are really truly excited about something, don’t feel like you have to hide it! Will you get looked at strangely? Honestly… yeah. Probably. But nobody ever asked you for permission to be rude or judgmental, so you certainly don’t need their permission to be happy or excited. Life has so much to offer. Don’t be afraid to show excitement once in a while!