I was recently asked a good question that has been on my mind for some time now. Who do you like to surround yourself with? It seems like an easy question initially, but our response tells us a lot about what we value and who we want to be. It's true that friends play an important role in our lives, and finding the right people to surround yourself with can point us in the right directions.
As I've had some time to think over this question, there seems to be a satisfactory answer. I like to spend my time with paradoxes. These are people who cannot be categorized by our traditional titles. It's the nerd who is an amazing athlete, the tech savvy grandparent, and the heavy metal rocker who loves mathematics. These people remind me that the qualities we often see as opposites can actually complement each other in surprising ways. Being with paradoxes expands my perspective, challenging me to look beyond the superficial titles we seem too quick to hand out. They inspire me to embrace my own contradictions, to pursue interests that might seem at odds with each other, and to resist the urge to conform to a single identity.
In a world that often tries to simplify and categorize, these paradoxes are a breath of fresh air. They cut through the monotony of people trying to fit in and be like everyone else. They show me that it's okay to be more than one thing, to hold multiple passions, and to live a life that doesn’t fit neatly into any one category. And in their company, I find a sense of belonging—not because we are all the same, but because we are all different.