The Narratives – Mohamed Miah

Which aspects do you think makes a person unique?

Most people think fitting in is a good thing.

You grow up being taught it without even realising. Don’t say too much. Don’t be too different. Read the room. Adjust yourself. Keep things smooth.

And for a long time, I did exactly that.

But something never sat right with me.

I’ve sat in rooms where everyone agrees, but you can feel it’s not real. Conversations that sound right on the surface, but underneath there’s something off. People nodding, smiling, going along with things they don’t actually believe.

And the strange thing is… everyone can feel it.

They just choose not to touch it.

I don’t think I’m different because I’m smarter or better. It’s not that.

I just struggle to ignore what’s right in front of me.

If something feels off, it stays with me. If something doesn’t make sense, I can’t just brush past it to keep things comfortable. And over time, that naturally puts you slightly outside of things.

Not completely out. But never fully in.

And when you do say something, even slightly…

You feel the shift.

Not always negative. Just uncomfortable.

Like you’ve broken an unspoken agreement everyone else was following.

The funny thing is, later on, people will come to you quietly.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

You hear that more than you’d expect.

Which tells you everything you need to know.

It’s not that people don’t see things.

They just don’t want to carry the weight of saying them.

That’s where the gap comes from.

Some people learn to live with that. To smooth things over, to stay within the lines, to protect the environment they’re in.

Others don’t.

And those people end up being labelled in all sorts of ways.

Too much. Too direct. Awkward. Difficult.

But most of the time, they’re just not willing to pretend.

I’ve realised I don’t really fit in because I don’t fully buy into that way of moving through life.

And the older I get, the more I’m okay with that.

Because fitting in often comes at the cost of being honest with yourself.

I’m not trying to stand out.

I’m just not willing to constantly adjust myself to match things I don’t believe in.

If that puts me slightly outside of the room sometimes, then so be it.

That’s probably what makes someone unique, if anything does.

Not how different they try to be.

But how little they’re willing to lie to themselves just to belong.