Changing faces

We humans are a combination of our three selves; the person we really are including all of our fears and insecurities. The person we want to be including our dreams and goals. And finally the person we pretend to be for others like our family, lovers and friends. People often throw out the statement “Be yourself” as if it’s the easiest thing in the world when in fact it can take one a lifetime to even figure out who they are.  We take on different roles based on the people we are around. For instance as women we are the fun girl with our men, the cool girl with our friends, and the good girl for our parents. Which gives life to the saying that there’s a time and place for everything.

   So in the midst of all our changing faces how do we stay true to ourselves? Being yourself is not as easy it sounds. Only this isn’t a bad thing. In fact in this day and age it’s an integral key to adulthood, wearing many hats. It’s exhausting and if it’s exhausting  simply figuring one’s self out. That means it’s innumerably exhausting trying to figure other people out also. Still you have to be successful in your interactions with people in order to live a happy, healthy life. No one gets anywhere alone. That means we have to be able to impress people. We have to do it to get the right jobs and if we want these jobs to lead to greater pastures we have to be able to forge alliances or form partnerships.

Aside from that let’s face it, you need people. If you don’t believe that imagine if you woke up tomorrow and you were the only person left upon this earth.  It wouldn’t matter if you had all the world’s most prized material possessions all to yourself. You’d only be able to think of finding at least one other person. Even if you hated that other person, having them would at least enable you to appreciate your own company. This is actually the key to building successful relationships. To quote the illustrious comic Katt Williams, “You gotta stay in tune with your star player.” Make sure you practice meditation and self-reflection. Make sure your damn self is doing alright. It’s not selfish because you can’t help anyone else unless you help yourself first.

     Of course if we’re at least decent we want to have a positive impact on the world in some way. This is noble but it’s important to remember to be good to yourself. Make sure you’re in touch with your true wants and desires. Love yourself for you are many people. You are the hopes and dreams of your parents, and their parent, and theirs, so on to include all of your ancestors going back to the very beginning of time. The blood that flows in your veins was formed with the mutation of cells from beings that walked this planets billions of years ago. We dream of immortality through our offspring and our deeds because our collective hopes and dreams are immortal.  The spark that animates each of us is like that of a colossal root and we are but the dying leavings carrying seeds to the earth. We are inextricably connected.

So the truest form of you includes the person you are when you’re all alone and the people you choose to take a break from yourself with. As well as the physical manifestation of the triumphs and failures of your ancestors. We all know the biblical phrase “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” this profound insight is present in the official doctrine of every major religion. Well if you don’t know how to treat your damn self how are you gonna know how to treat others.  To quote another scripture 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.…” Whether you’re religious or not just be good to yourself so that you can be good to others and respect the ones whose spirit dwells within you for they died just trying to do the same.