Clubs — Hive

I'm not a big fan of joining clubs.
It doesn't matter which club. Politics, cooking, handcraft, collecting stamps, (certain) pets, church, sport, music or books it's always the same.
Some people grab the power and tell you what to do, how to think, and what to like or wear.
Humans aren't different from animals, certain animals if it comes to that behaviour. We give up on ourselves, follow the leader and think that person knows best, keeps us safe or like to believe rules are needed to keep the peace and let everything work smoothly.
Once people have to ignore themselves, their needs, likes, pretend to be someone else and are tip-toeing trouble is guaranteed.

They say it's good to join a club.
You'll meet people with common interests, people like you. The fact is after a lifetime of trying, meeting people with dogs, and cats, at shops, sports clubs, yoga, amnesty international meetings, gymnastic and so on I never met anyone like me. I met plenty of people with the same interests but never anyone like me, never anyone I felt close with. There's always at least one spoiler.
That spoiler is the club, its people, the fake harmony, lack of individuality, own opinion, the lack of initiative and the complaining of being bored or about everything but it can also be the sickening competition or cockiness or lack of respect.
It is difficult for many to respect and accept someone as they are. In a club, you have to be a team and everyone has to look, think and act the same. You have to love to be in line, that's what I mean. I can't do that.

I was listening to a podcast on the topic of 'being yourself'.
Not having the need to belong to a club and just joining in if that gives pleasure. For many, joining and even nothing gives real pleasure. We go out, we do what is expected of us, because we have to or because everyone else is doing it or out of boredom.

We spend most of the day on the internet and bored we look for something that interests us, and keeps us busy. We call it killing time.
We don't take a step outside, we have lost the feeling of being one with nature.
There is so much to see, to do, to enjoy, but the fear of being kicked out of the club, of not belonging anywhere, is greater than being ourselves.
It's fine if joining in is your thing but this is not who I am, what I want for myself, or what I need to feel good.

I believe too the days of the (internet) clubs are numbered.
It is time to step into real life now, today. Go out, meet real people and, if you feel the need to, create a bond with them. It is still possible and this may be necessary for your future, much required during the next lockdown or if the next injection waits for you.

Instead, you can also create a bond with your soul. Take time for yourself, discover and do what makes you happy. This can take quite some time to figure out because every day you are indoctrinated, manipulated, and labelled as a person you are not by clubs that in reality want to take away your own identity. Being yourself, being creative, and being someone does not fit into any active club or association that feels the high need to be the face of something.

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Birds of a feather stick together? How uniform can one be in reality without losing oneself, contact with the inner self?