what you tell yourself- revised

In an effort to start doing the things I planned to do the entire summer but never could be bothered, I went to a Starbucks, ordered a Venti non-fat peppermint mocha, settled into a plush chair and continued reading a book I started back in April.
I am currently reading Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. I first got to know Donald Miller when I read his first book, Blue Like Jazz. And I decided that if I knew Donald Miller, he would probably be my friend. He makes referrences to books, movies and music I like. And he talks about drinking beer at his favorite pubs. I like him.
As I sat sipping on my fancy coffee and reading, I found myself particularly struck by the following quote:

Humans, as a species, are constantly, and in every way, comparing themselves to one another, which, given the brief nature of their existence, seems an oddity and, for that matter, a waste. Nevertheless, this is the driving influence behind every human’s social development, their emotional health and sense of joy, and sadly, their greatest tragedies. It is as though something that helped them function and live well has gone missing, and they are pining for that missing thing in all sorts of methods, none of which are working. The greater tragedy is that very few people understand the disease. This seems strange as well because it is obvious. To be sure, it is killing them, and yet sustaining their social and economic systems. They are an entirely beautiful people with a terrible problem.

Miller goes on to talk about how we are constantly looking for personal value and worth in other people's perceptions and opinions of us. When I first read this, I found myself thinking, "maybe I looked for approval from others to feel good about myself was younger. But now I'm older and more self-assurred." Not long after a couple approached me and asked me about my shoes. They told me that they were awesome. And I found that in their approval of my shoes, I was also deemed as very cool. Then I thought back to when I bought the shoes. I wanted them because they are comfortable and will be great for walking around New York. But also because they were unique, would get attention and were purchased in New York.
This is the shoe, only mine are brown and gold. They really are great shoes. While trying to edit so people could see the picture, I messed up the text. It doesn't really matter. I posted lyrics to yet another song on here. And I quoted another blog to support this idea that wasn't very well-formulated in the first place. And everyone who reads my blog already saw what was previously written and now you can see the picture of my very cool shoes.