From the notes of an identity-juggler
Ways to keep people from seeing who you really are:
1. Tell them who you want them to believe you are. If you say it loudly enough and often enough, several people will believe you. People are often too lazy to look beyond appearances, under the surface.
2. Tell the truth. Most people are so used to hearing defensive lies that they’ll assume you’re the same. There’s hardly any chance they’ll actually believe you. Especially if you also joke a lot the rest of the time…they can never tell if you’re kidding or not, so they’ll always assume the worst. People are pessimistic.
3. Tell them about themselves. Tell them what they are thinking and who they are. They’ll be so busy being flattered, annoyed, surprised and generally flustered about being read by you that they’ll forget about trying to read you.
Of the many men whom I am, whom we are,
I cannot settle on a single one.
They are lost to me under the cover of clothing
They have departed for another city.
When everything seems to be set
to show me off as a man of intelligence,
the fool I keep concealed on my person
takes over my talk and occupies my mouth.
On other occasions, I am dozing in the midst
of people of some distinction,
and when I summon my courageous self,
a coward completely unknown to me
swaddles my poor skeleton
in a thousand tiny reservations.
When a stately home bursts into flames,
instead of the fireman I summon,
an arsonist bursts on the scene,
and he is I. There is nothing I can do.
What must I do to distinguish myself?
How can I put myself together?
All the books I read
lionize dazzling hero figures,
brimming with self-assurance.
I die with envy of them;
and, in films where bullets fly on the wind,
I am left in envy of the cowboys,
left admiring even the horses.
But when I call upon my DASHING BEING,
out comes the same OLD LAZY SELF,
and so I never know just WHO I AM,
nor how many I am, nor WHO WE WILL BE BEING.
I would like to be able to touch a bell
and call up my real self, the truly me,
because if I really need my proper self,
I must not allow myself to disappear.
While I am writing, I am far away;
and when I come back, I have already left.
I should like to see if the same thing happens
to other people as it does to me,
to see if as many people are as I am,
and if they seem the same way to themselves.
When this problem has been thoroughly explored,
I am going to school myself so well in things
that, when I try to explain my problems,
I shall speak, not of self, but of geography.
Pablo Neruda
wow…thats pretty cool. mostly correct too. i guess people who read ur blog comment like ur posts too! nice blog…and thanks for stopping by!
@ Stranger: I like it. But I like your original posts better. But I guess I won’t complain…you’ve given me fodder for a post. 😉
@ Yogustus: Thank you (on behalf of my commenters too!) I came to your blog via Sakshi..will stop in there again.
thats awesome as usual. 🙂