A man is defined entirely by his character. And I firmly believe that men of true greatness never waiver or compromise that character. They always remain themselves. How dare the rest of the world demand change from that man to conform. Some people are just naturally strong enough to lead. They never follow blindly. They are nobody's sheep.

From Muhammad Ali refusing entry into the draft to the Budhist monk who lit himself on fire and burned to death out of protest of the Vietnam war. These men never forgot who they were... Where they had come from... They were willing to martyr themselves to defend who they were.

"Hold your tongue and play the game" or "You should consider changing your attitude just a little bit."
Fuck that.
Crush the game and make as much noise about it in the process.
The bottom line is that at the end of the day, you have nobody to answer to but yourself. And if you can't respect yourself by remaining true...
How can anyone else?
Keeping a firm grip on who you are as a person and "keeping it real" is not arrogance. Only a real pompous idiot would make that mistake.

In the words of the great Popeye the Sailor man, "I am what I am."
I am not a misfit...
I am not someone's project...
I am not rough around the edges...
I am not a persona.
I am not the one with the bad attitude.

I am a bi-product of the many things that I've endured in my 24 years.
I am intensity and heartbreak personified.
I am the smile one makes when reminising about memories, 20 years after the fact.
I am amusement.
I am the riddle.
I am satisfaction.
I am disapointment.
I am gratitude.
I am desire.
I am sorrow.
I am the sleeve upon which my emotions lay.
I am...

Most importantly...
I am Chris Vandercook.