Image Prison

This is an essay I had to write for English as a sophmore. I really liked the subject because it was something on which I have a strong opinion. I had wanted to post it some time ago but never got around to it until now.


Picture a man standing in a room with the door locked, and outside of the room dwells opportunity and failure. While in the room, the man avoids the failure, but misses out on all of the opportunity. This hypothetical jail represents the man’s image which keeps him in a comfortable state with little room for taking chances that could help just as much as they could hurt. In today’s world, popular culture portrays image as everything. With a bad image, people face almost certain ridicule and scorn, but with a good image, success lies just ahead because image becomes the mental picture, either conscious or subconscious, which people create of each other. This image forms a set of actions and attitudes which people begin to expect to seem in one another. As a result, people imprison themselves to the point where they no longer do what they want to do, but instead do what others except them to do. Thus, people should not need to actively care and focus on their image because doing so inhibits freedom and the ability to aspire to personal goals and dreams, regardless of what others may think.

At the most basic level, the person does not create image, but instead society and people surrounding that person formulate the picture. In fact, the individual’s only impact on their own image involves the possibility of influencing surrounding peers. Thus, pursuing image truly becomes a waste of money and, more importantly, time. After putting loads of effort into rituals and practices to keep up appearance, society may simply reject the image as insufficient which would make all the previous work pointless and useless. Of course, society could receive the image well, but that involves a lot to chance. People should focus more on what they can control and less on what they can only influence because what people control will inevitably have influence, even if not intended. Once an individual stops concentrating on appearance, more important and controllable aspects of life will move into focus and eventually influence image and others without the individual ever trying to accomplish such.

This concept of people creating an image without trying leads to a very important point. Image just happens; people don’t need to try to create it because it naturally results from their actions and character. However, when people do try to create an image instead of just letting it happen, they often try to present a false picture that can hurt relationships that go past the superficial level. Imagine finding out that a best friend known since childhood as loyal, trustworthy, kind, and caring actually talks badly about friends when they’re not present in order to impress others and only became friends with people in order to use them to “move up the social ladder.” Such a discovery would destroy any relationship and results from the false image created by the friend. Of course, the possibility remains that the image created by people actually reflects their true selves, but, as stated before, people create such an image without needing to care about it because it just happens. Lying never contributed to healthy, lasting relationships, and creating a false image inevitably has the same results.

Considering how trying to create an image can lead to hurting loved ones, then why do so many people care so much about their image? The reason lies in the fact that image has its greatest impact in regards to affecting acquaintances more than close relatives and friends, and many people get this twisted idea that the former peoples’ opinions matter more than those of the latter. Image only exists on the superficial level which people see of each other during brief interactions, and close relationships do not rely on this weak outer shell of an individual but instead on the true, inner, and unmasked characteristics of that individual. The people whose opinions should really matter in life base their judgments off of much more than the outward appearance which image creates.

By far, the worst consequence due to caring about image relies on how doing so leaves little room for change on the part of those who care. Image takes on a constant, immovable life of its own because people get stuck trying to please others by keeping their image up instead of aspiring to their own dreams and leaving behind the fears related with no longer caring about image. Once people become comfortable with the picture of themselves which others see, they no longer want to go against that appearance for fear of the possible outcomes. As a result, the individual acts in accordance to what pleases society because caring about image results in creating a false image, and the individual creates that false image under the parameters of what will impress acquaintances, or society. After people get fixed in this never-ending want to please the world, they start living behind the walls of their image, created by those around them, instead of moving about freely to aspire to their goals.

Even with all of the aforementioned points considered, the truth still stands that image plays an important part in today’s world. It can make or break many opportunities and set up good first impressions. However, people do not need to actively care about their image to see these beneficial results. The true image which reflects the inner characteristics and personality of an individual does not require care because it develops on its own in the minds of the surrounding people. Caring about image only serves to create barriers between what people want to do and what the world tells them to do, and, when they stop caring about that image, they begin to make their own picture instead of having society paint it for them.

Living Life

it's been forever since i've posted anything on my blog. i guess i've just been too busy living life. within such a short amount of time so much has changed to the point where i'm not even sure what happened. so much to ponder over and so much to do and so many people to be with. up until the past few days i haven't had a moment to just sit without having to think about or do something. it's all been so crazy. but it has all been good.

my prayer is that God will guide my path. it's so hard to know what to do and so easy to make mistakes. it's also too easy to end up taking over the reigns and running the show on my own. but that never works out well. and so i pray that God will guide me.