By Zach Thomas
Arizona Daily Wildcat
September 11, 1997

Insecure? Try spinach

Arizona Daily Wildcat Zach Thomas

"You are what you eat."

So went my mother's cliché, as she piled mounds of spinach on my plate - ostensibly to counteract my then-high school diet of pizza, pot and beer.

"But I don't like green, leafy substances," I replied, not knowing.

"Just eat what you feel like," my dad would sometimes reply. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that phrase has since shown me where individuality is at.

Like it or not, each of us embodies the sum total of our separate experiences, be it fifth generation hobo or elite three times over. And no matter how you trace lineage or what bounds you set, upbringing and experience remain defining constants in existence.

Why do I state the obvious? Because if generalized 1960s' hippiedom, 70s' disco, and wealth in the 80s' are any precedent, insecurity and the resulting escapism rule the 90s - perhaps more now than ever before.

While that is far from a hard and fast rule, nine months of working in the so-called real world made my August return to college disconcerting as I realize how rampant insecurity thrives here.

In the past three weeks, I've seen students desperately trying to fit the rubrics that make up parts, but not the meat, of Western society. In the process, I watch them consciously lose themselves in a rampant charge toward sameness.

To them, I say, "Fou," which means crazy in French. In Russian, it is a polite expletive of disgust.

To consciously let identity slip away in order to fit some sort of misplaced Jell-O mold is far more folly than favorable.

It was unnerving, for example, to watch sorority rushers prance around campus dressed in identical black, reveling in sameness and apparently unaware of the diverse world into which their unknowing souls have stumbled.

Some will use the experience as a transition into college life - as it should be. Many, however, will allow the experience to use them, setting those on a sheltered path of indifference and holier-than-thou attitudes.

Although I've never been in a sorority and don't plan to rush one soon, some members resemble the equivalent of cloistered, sexually active nuns.

This particular view of the Greek community, however, is but an example and not the target of this criticism. The true target is anyone with low enough self-esteem to believe his or her individuality is sufficiently worthless to give up in favor of "fitting in."

I believe what many don't realize is you can have it both ways - personal acceptance alongside identity.

There are people who respect others for their character rather than the way they dress or appear. They do not necessarily jump up and down and greet incoming students at the entrance, but are omnipresent nonetheless. I've happened upon quite a few of them.

Yet to achieve what I believe is redeeming self-esteem and identity takes much more than a good group of friends. At least 80 percent of it is an abstract personal transformation that comes from within; this I know from personal experience.

During this transformatory period, outside influences abound and can steer one away from individuality toward becoming a number that fits a mold. Be aware and watch out for this, for there are many paths away from where it's at.

Oh yeah, and eat your spinach if you want to, not because someone tells you to.

Zach Thomas is a junior majoring in journalism.