Divine Idea by Fabian Kruse (Day 11) #trust30

Imitation is Suicide. Insist on yourself; never imitate. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write down in which areas of your life you have to overcome these suicidal tendencies of imitation, and how you can transform them into a newborn you – one that doesn’t hide its uniqueness, but thrives on it. There is a “divine idea which each of us represents” – which is yours?

Imitate (verb):

To follow as a model: copy

Resemble

Reproduce

Mimic; Counterfeit

I have to relate a short story before I post my response to this one!  When I checked my Facebook page this morning, I noticed a comment from someone who believed that ‘imitation’ is the way we learn.  “We imitate and keep what sticks” was also part of the comment.   So, I decide to contemplate for a while before I wrote my responses to this prompt.

I thought about the masses imitating celebrities such as Justin Bieber and his hair style, Lady Gaga, and the many others that do not need to be listed—you know them!  I thought about how we might try to imitate a friend, a teacher, a therapist, or any other person who we might admire or deem important in our lives.  Maybe this works for some people.  Maybe by imitating the actions of others they can find their true selves.  If this is the case, then go for it.  But for me, I beg to differ.

There have been many times over the years when I have been an imitator of one thing or another.  I call it by a totally different name.  I call it wearing a mask.  I cannot understand how imitation can lead us to our authentic self, about which I believe, is the reason for my journey on this earth.   We learn from each other, but we must use what we learn in our own unique way.  We must apply it to our lives in a way that fits with the path we are taking.  We must use it to further our self-awareness, to find the Self that was brought up in a previous prompt in this challenge.

Yes, “imitation is suicide”.  I have to agree with this quote.  Do we want to be content in being a copy, a reproduction, a mime with no words, a counterfeit that has no value?  It is not for me.  I have to be who I am, there is no other way.