What is it exactly that defines coolness? Is it calm under extreme pressure? Is it rebelling against the status quo? Is it the charm of words and fashion that immediately present someone as a person others would like to imitate? People learn by copying, it’s how we all got to this point because we watched Mom and Dad do stuff and we tried it too and even to this day we’re still taking cues from those around us to help us in our own individual plights. So what is it that cool people do that gives them that label exactly and who’s really to say what is and isn’t cool?
One thing for sure is that there is no specific morality placed on the idea of cool as many evil characters are often labeled cool,perhaps not simply only for their ruthlessness, but their general attitude and effectiveness. When we think cool we think carefree and yet strangely always under control and on top of things. It’s that ability to make something difficult look effortless and natural that captivates us. Cool is thankfully nothing that is confined to only the genetically gifted, it’s a label which can be bestowed upon any one because we are all open to be interpreted in many different ways by people as well as have the free will to make choices that will improve our image in the eyes of others.
Of course, depending on your crowd, the idea of cool may not even have anything to do with grace or respect but rather cruelty and humiliation. The idea of coolness may be dominance and establishment of self created norms such as in the case of gangs. Everyone uses cool as a label to make their lifestyle seem desirable, so not only can they increase their own potential to have fun but they can improve their status on the same stroke. Cool is also about decency and generally being a good person. It involves having forethought beyond that of others, anticipating needs and fulfilling them at a beneficial time. We need in our society archetypes upon which to structure our behavior, as we further and further refine our interpersonal relationships and the society that exists around them. So as seasons come and go and the tide rises and lowers, styles change and thus what is around us does along with it, though some forms of coolness are not necessarily seasonal but declarations of character. Also it goes to say if you can’t imagine yourself as cool then it’s doubtful anyone else ever will either, so it becomes more about an attitude which may be recognized by others immediately, sometimes literally by the way you walk.
So in closing, coolness is in many ways a cloak that we may wear upon ourselves that is in its nature only visible to certain people. With people there are no absolutes and no sure fire way to guarantee any individual can be called or labeled cool. People can be near identical in one respect and completely alien in another. While there are people and things that are generally considered cool, there is always those who don’t agree with the norm and think completely different. When it comes to opinions, styles and ultimately the essence of cool, the ideas are as many as there are people on this planet. Moral of the story? If you aren’t cool here, you’re cool somewhere and if you aren’t cool now, you can get cool later!
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