We’re All Posers (Sometimes)
This is not easy to admit, but when I was younger, I used to force myself to seem “cultured”. I went to the theater and to the ballet (and tried hard not to fall asleep). I tried to read philosophy books (but never really understood what Nietzsche was on about). I went to arthouse films in French (but couldn’t keep up with the subtitles). I bought Free Jazz records (but couldn’t stand them).
I guess it takes a certain type of maturity or confidence to stop doing these things, but it took me forever to get there. At some point, you just start to understand that life’s too short. Divide your time between what you need to do and what you love to do – don’t waste your time on making an impression.