Human nature is a complex thing, an enigma fused with obfuscation, a compilation of animalistic feelings and instincts. Human nature has its tender, sympathetic aspects, as well as its cold, malevolent, simple-minded abominations. Insecurity is one such abomination; It is in our nature to compare ourselves to one another and fabricate an image of what we believe we should be, based on how we degrade our self-worth by shunning, marring, and altering our true selves to fit the identity others assign us. How we value ourselves shouldn’t be based on what we amount to when compared to someone who is not us. We should love and accept ourselves unconditionally with the realization that everyone is beautiful in their own unique way, a way that cannot be compared or criticized, only equally admired.
 

 To begin, ever since Facebook was created in 2004, as well as myriad other social media giants such as Twitter and Instagram, our society’s self-worth has been distorted and its insecurities evolved from a common cold into a pandemic that plagued the human race. For instance, users of social media, teens especially, constantly post images showcasing their life, appearance, and/or personality, often for what it is not. When these posts are seen by one’s friends they receive “likes” which give the poster a false sense of pride. There are also those who witness these vain tributes to others’ greatness and unjustly compare any or all of the qualities that define them to these toxicities. Ask.fm is another example of how we thwart our efforts to recognize our beauty; on this website, people are allowed to be asked questions or, the common alternative, being relentlessly bombarded with verbal abuse from those whose cowardice is to immense to confront them with these comments face-to-face. Ultimately, social media is a colossal contributor to our ill-founded societal and personal value.
 

 Furthermore, the degree in which we accept ourselves is widely derived from how we treat each other. We, due to our insecurities, mercilessly scrutinize and laugh at one another’s imperfections both physical and internal. This spreads and invigorates the misconception that flaws are “ugly” and should be avoided and concealed, when in reality faults define us, are the seed of everything intriguing, and are one of our most human qualities. An idea like this confines us to the monotonous world of normality and conformity which limits our minds and stifles our real voices.  There is no such thing as perfection and even to strive for such a thing is inevitably tedious. In other words (the words of W. Somerset Maugham) “Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull”. 
   

Clearly, one shouldn’t judge oneself by what they are told they “should” look like, nor should one succumb to the trend of normality. If we can all rise above our simplistic, innate nature and ascend to a more profound and meaningful set of values then we would love and accept the beauty of our raw, unfiltered selves.