by Jason Stotts
Another thing I saw in the San Diego Airport was a woman wearing a shirt that said “Be as you are”, which I though was an interesting philosophical claim worthy of investigation.
I can only construe 2 readings of this, 1) the loose reading – “Be an individual” and 2) the literal meaning – don’t change.
Now, I would like to say that 1) is implausible because of the formation “be as you are” does not say “be as you are – as opposed to conforming”, it stops at the first part. Let me push this analysis by saying that the word “be” is a form of the verb “to be” which means “to exist”, so when you say “be” you mean “exist”. The other key word is “are” which is another form of “to be” and in this context “are” means “in your current state of existence”. So, to reformulate the phrase it goes from “be as you are” to “exist in your current state of existence”.
This immediately makes me wonder why anyone would want to exist merely as they are, because I know that I’m not living at 100% of my potential and I doubt anyone is, but even if they are (which I doubt) you can always make yourself better. To concretize this so its not confusing, let us say that we are like containers for liquids. If you are a 10oz. container that is full you are at 100%, but if you are a 20oz. container that contains the same amount, then you’re only at 50%. The point is that a 10oz. should strive to increase their capacity so that they are able to hold more, because 60% of 20oz. is more than 100% of 10oz.
Life is about not only constantly trying to be your best, but also about expanding your abilities and powers – a life without growth is a life in decline. So to truly advocate merely being as you are is to advocate movement towards death.