-Billie Holiday
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
-Howard Therman
There was a lot we talked about in terms of individuality a few days ago, so to avoid a complete mass of hypocritical ideas here's some of the concepts we talked about, but I didn't get to last time.
-Is individuality "good"?
-Are "copycats" or "posers" being themselves?
-Is it right to judge people as being true to themselves?
-Can people pretend to be someone they're not?
I'm going to get that first point out of the way immediately because I do believe individuality is a great characteristic we possess. The ability to see things differently opens up possibilities and solutions that may not be possible to view looking a single way. True it allows the possibility of conflict, but it also opens the door to new ideas. I like new ideas because, although we cannot conventionally achieve "perfection" (or being), there is always room for improvement. Be it law, education, etc. If we stick with a flawed system, we will only ever get flawed results.
As for "posers" it's a bit trickier. These are the kind of people who will intentionally scratch up their skateboards, walk around with them without truly knowing how to even ride them. These are people who want to be judged as "cool". Could they be hiding who they are? Mark from class argued that "who we are" is untouchable, we just play many, many different roles as we go through life. I like that a lot, but it kinda forces you to wonder if you can ever break free of your mask or see through that of others. I think so and think that some people are capable of being "themselves" most of the time (a rare few) because they hold a strong inner confidence that is who they are. As for the others, it requires an intimacy not typically reserved for all to see. We all wear masks at some point.
There are instances where copying other people however can have dire consequences. I remember a video a few years ago where celebrity look-alikes started believing themselves to truly be the people they were impersonating. They felt a loss of identity. One instance in particular was when one man was kidnapped by Saddam Hussein to serve as a body double. When he eventually returned to his family years later he appeared to have adopted many of the harsh personality quirks (abusive to women for one) of his role. I can't even imagine the stress undercover cops must have trying to hold one identity while not letting the "original" go.
 |
| What face to wear today? |
In this light, the masks we choose to wear can ultimately hold much greater influence than we may realize on the person they hide. The more you put into the mask the more it will affect you in turn. How does one hang onto their identity? I can't say I've been in that situation, but if I were to guess it would be by linking ourselves to a strong inner desire. A passion for music for instance could be the chain one uses to anchor themselves to who they are, no matter the face they wear. Why would we bother to do that if change is supposed to be good? I think the reason why is because the mask we wear isn't always a good one (or we agree with), sometimes it's for survival.
Can we really judge people based on their mask? We all know the saying "a first impression is never right", but it is effectively an evolutionary safety mechanism. If we see a bear in the woods our instinct is to judge because it will keep you safe (assuming your mental judgement is, "Holy crap a bear!?! Walk away slowly!" opposed to "I wanna pet it!!"). For judging others it's a bit of a toss-up because, to use the cliche, you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Never assume you know someone based on a first impression. People will surprise you, so always be on your toes.
The idea of people wearing masks is an interesting one, especially when you consider it in terms of their creation to fit in with "society" (more on that later). If we know that everyone wears masks, how can we ever trust anyone to be who they say they are? I think the reason we can is because the masks we do wear are often just an extension of who we are. Yes, there are huge exceptions, however I feel a lot of the time the masks we wear do have some reflection of who we are, perhaps a little more confident or outgoing. If you're having a bit of an identity crisis over which is real, just act without thought and it'll come to you. I think the easiest mask for you to portray is your own skin. Not necessarily the easiest for society to accept, but the important thing is to always stay true to yourself. Whoever that may be.
Never stop questioning.
No comments:
Post a Comment