Everyone wants to fit in. We change ourselves, we pretend, we lie in order to fit in. Anyone who says they do not want to be accepted is lying. We not only change to fit in but the people we are with also change us.

“Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I have ever known,” said Chuck Palahniuk.

We all fit the mold presented to us. High school is full of examples of this. Everyone has their own group that they are always with; they are referred to as ‘best friends.’ They change us, they make us who we are. We are all fake, no one is a ‘real’ person. All humanity does is lie to themselves.

We need acceptance because we need to feel good about ourselves, its the same reason we put others down. Quite frankly, anyone who may seem extremely nice is just going to turn out to be two-faced. We try to make everyone happy; sometimes this can catch up with us and turn out to be negative. Such as when two friends are arguing and we try to make them both feel better and make it seem like we are their side. Even this shapes us.

But then, would this not create a paradox? If we do not know who we are then how do we know if others change us? The answer would be that our friends and family make us who we are. We gain experience from our jobs, music, everything. We are constantly being shaped by those around us; but it is up to you to what you become.