Summary

The author shares a personal anecdote about a moment of insecurity where they harmed themselves to appease the perceived anger of strangers after making a poor driving decision.

Abstract

In a candid reflection, the author admits to an act of self-harm triggered by the embarrassment of causing a traffic obstruction. Despite being unharmed in the traffic incident itself, the author felt compelled to physically punish themselves by hitting their head to signal remorse to oncoming drivers, an action they later regret. The author emphasizes the importance of not being overly influenced by the opinions of others, especially strangers, and advocates for the development of self-security to withstand the inevitable displeasure of people one may encounter in life.

Opinions

The author believes that intelligent and secure individuals do not seek validation from strangers, especially in situations where they have made a mistake.
Panicking under pressure is seen as a sign of insecurity and lack of self-assuredness.
The author considers their own reaction, which was to facepalm hard enough to cause a bruise, as an irrational response to the situation.
There is an opinion that self-harm, even in a minor form, is not a solution to social embarrassment or the disapproval of others.
The author suggests that true self-security comes from the ability to shrug off the negative opinions of strangers, which is crucial for personal strength and happiness.
The author advises against reacting to situations with self-inflicted harm, both physically and emotionally, as it is counterproductive and unnecessary.

One Thing That Smart, Secure People Don’t Do (That I Totally Did Today)

Guys, I have a confession to make.

I did something extremely silly today.

A small thing. A minor thing. But it is a thing that people who are both intelligent and secure in themselves do not do.

Background: I Have Become What I Hate

Earlier today I was driving home from my friend’s house and made a maybe-I-can-make-it left turn out of a parking lot trying to get across the oncoming-traffic right lane.

As it turns out, I could not make it.

(Don’t worry, I wasn’t hit or anything. Though that, in itself, was a questionable decision.)

I ended up stopped horizontally across two lanes of oncoming traffic. Thank god I was at a red light.

But you know how you really, really hate it when you’re going somewhere and someone does something stupid and impedes your ability to get where you’re going? We all hate that person.

And now I was them.

How Not To Be Secure In Yourself, In One Act

I have a tendency to panic when pressed. And in this situation, I was the object of vehicular hatred. This could not stand.

Therefore I, a theoretically sane and apparently far less secure than I thought human, decided that facepalming was the solution. So I very obviously hit myself in the head hard enough to bruise to signal to oncoming drivers that I felt bad about this situation.

Wut.

Carrie.

WUT.

Lesson: Do Not Let Yourself Be So Influenced By The Opinions Of Others That You Actively Harm Yourself

The heading says it all, honestly. Cause dudes, I did a number on my head. I have a headache hours later. But in the moment, because people who I could not see and would never meet might be mad at me, I actively harmed myself so they might (might!) hate me less.

Guys. Don’t do what I did.

People will be mad at you over the course of your life. It’s extremely inevitable. You might say something they don’t like, breathe too loudly, or walk too slow. Or be caught horizontally blocking traffic, but whatever.

What I want you to take away from this story is that people who are really secure in themselves? They don’t put that much weight on the opinions of total strangers. Definitely not enough to smack themselves in the head.

Be that person who can walk through life and shrug off the displeasure of strangers. You will be stronger and happier for it.

And whatever you do, don’t smack yourself in the head.

Ow.