• ANGRY_MAPLE
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    281 year ago

    You’re not wrong, though.

    It can be easy to put up a front around other people, and hide parts of yourself. Tempting, even. If people don’t know that information about you, they can’t judge you on it.

    Let’s say two strong dudes were side by side, one of them acts “tough”, and the other doesn’t care about people knowing about his fascination with antique figurines. I would always think that the second guy is tougher.

    I don’t know what happened, but “tough” seems to only mean “following the buff crowd” to some people. “Tough” isn’t just muscle strength. Nearly anyone can pretend that they’re like someone else. It takes a certain kind of self confidence to let yourself be passionate about the things that you love and enjoy around others. It shows mental strength, which I think is a huge part of being “tough”.

    In the earlier hypothetical, the latter guy would probably be the one to stand up for what he feels is right, regardless of what he’s told to think. He probably also wouldn’t be as easily swayed by judgemental people, and would probably be less anxious and insecure as a result.