Rules of Cool

My sister Maria used to make fun of me because, when I was a kid, I used to make this silly drawing of a hand making a “thumbs up” sign. Underneath the drawing, I would write “Paul is cool.” I later asked myself, “Why was I so concerned with being ‘cool’?” Maybe at the time, I functioned with the ideology, “If I’m cool, I will be popular.” Maybe this “popular” meant that I was to be more accepted by society. Today, any ambition I have of being “cool” is replaced with being “at peace.” Thus, I have come to realize that, as long as I’m “at peace,” there will always be a place for me in society because it is human nature to feel this way. I can only hope this will one day be the “popular” choice for all.

As I reflect on my early ambitions of being “cool” and my later goal of feeling “at peace,” I realize that these two states share similar rules:

1) Being “cool” or “at peace” is only a feeling. It is not a look, an image, or a number. It is just an internal feeling that sometimes reaches others. But, if and when it reaches another, it will still just be his or her feeling of us, not the image of us.

2) Those who feel at peace have a better chance of being cool rather than those who just want to feel power.

3) Anyone who is “trying” to be cool is not cool. Anyone trying to be at peace is cool.

4) Cool is choosing to make your mind healthier than it is presently. This ultimately will lead to being at peace.

5) Honestly feeling at peace is cool.