Have you ever thought about what your own personality is like?
你有没有想过，你自己的个性到底是怎样的？

If you are asked to describe yourself with three words, which three words would you choose?
如果让你用3个词来概括你自己，你会选择哪3个单词？

Or, do you actually have no idea what your own personality is like?
还是说，其实你自己并不清楚自己的个性是怎样的？

Are you actually a person with no personality?
或者你其实是个没有什么个性的人？

But then again, is personality really so important?
但是，话说回来，个性这个东西真的那么重要吗？

Kenya Hara, a leading design personality in Japan, once said:
日本的设计大师原研哉有一句名言：

The value of personality, as well as the explicit expression of likes and dislikes, have been unnecessarily overestimated.
个性的价值，以及明确表达喜欢、不喜欢的态度，都被不必要地高估了。

It is a good thing that we live in a society where all people are free to express their desires.
我们身处一个所有人都能自由表达其欲望的社会，这是一件好事。

But freedom can also bring confusion.
但自由也会带来迷失。

What some people are really seeking is not to enjoy the freedom itself, but to force others to see their freedom.
有些人真正在寻求的已经不是享受自由本身，而是强行让别人看见自己的自由。

For example, “I want to eat Mac Donald’s” and “Mac Donald’s will do” both mean to eat Mac Donald’s.
例如，“我想吃麦当劳”和“麦当劳就行”表达的本来都是去吃麦当劳。

But it seems that the former embodies a person’s independence, while the latter reflects the lack of assertiveness.
但似乎前者体现了一个人的独立，而后者体现的是没主见。

However, is this really necessary?
然而，这样做真的有必要吗？

Is one’s daily performance of independence with a variety of acts not an embodiment of being not independent?
每天用各种行为强行表现自己的独立，难道不恰好就是不独立的表现？

An independent person will indeed have a personality, but a person with personality may not necessarily be independent.
一个独立的人的确会是有个性的，但一个有个性的人可并不一定有多独立。

They might just be a slave of vanity, craving the attention of others every day.
他们或许只是虚荣心的奴隶罢了，每天渴求着别人的注意力。

What do you really need, freedom and independence, or a tag that hangs on you?
你真正需要的东西，是自由和独立本身，还是一个挂在身上的标签？

It seems that most people have not figured out this issue.
很多人似乎并没有把这个问题想清楚。

 

（翻译：Frank）