Identity.
At some point in our lives, if we are fortunate (or unfortunate some may say) enough, we come face to face with the existential questions – who am I? and what is the purpose of my existence?
Life Lesson 20 – The Unmasking
Who am I? What is the purpose of my existence? I suppose, once those questions come to our awareness, you and I are faced with two choices – to continue conforming to the ‘me’ that I have been taught/conditioned into becoming… or… to be the essence of who I truly am.
Let me not say too much and instead invite you to watch this. Absorb everything and take time to reflect…
Identity (5 mins)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau says “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains”. Those chains he speaks of, or ‘masks’ as we see in the clip, are those things that enslave us and stop us from being who we truly are...so we live in a world of illusion, like actors on a stage playing our part. Dare I say like puppets on a string?
We can ask ourselves… Who am I? In truth, I am not the masks I wear… the masks that have been imposed on me in childhood, the masks that the media, culture or society pressure me to wear to ‘fit in’ to false ideologies. I am someone far greater than the sum of these together… I am the essence of my being, that which makes me uniquely me, full of value and worth by virtue of being human. But these masks weigh down on me… I look in the mirror and have forgotten who I am because I have been too preoccupied with becoming who ‘they’ told me to be… ENOUGH.
The time has come to take off the masks, to see the raw and real beauty within. When we learn to be and love that person in the mirror, then we truly become free… and when we are free to live our truth, we rise above the pettiness, the falsities, the traps and lies of all those who try to stick masks on our faces whilst convincing us that we’re not good enough…BE FREE.
And as for the purpose of our being… that will become apparent soon after we see ourselves for who we truly are ;)
My wish for you is that you look in that mirror, sans masks, and look deep; so deep that you can see the glorious soul within! You may be thinking ‘I’m ugly’, ‘I’m too fat or too thin or too short or too tall’, ‘I’m not strong enough, smart enough, good enough, young enough…’ But my friend YOU ARE ENOUGH. Can’t you see that all these words are simply masks that you have worn since the time that someone ‘gave’ them to you to wear? The mask you see is not the truth. It is the lie that you have been fed, the illusion that you have been given because it suits 'them' for you to conform or to feel inadequate... wearing their mask gives them power; but you have the choice and the power to take it off.
Perhaps this is a bit philosophical :) but on a practical level, if you are feeling unsatisfied with your life and with the ‘masks’ you are wearing, or if you feel that your self-talk is negative or that you do not like yourself, please seek the help you need to heal, grow and to find your true self. If you can identify the issues (such as childhood trauma, low self-esteem, fear, guilt, compliance, lack of assertiveness, anxiety etc) self-help books and sites are very useful; and if you don’t know where to begin, seek guidance in a way that is beneficial to you (a counsellor or other mental health professional for example). Pain has a purpose. When you feel that the ‘mask’ is now causing you pain, this is a signal that you have outgrown it, that it is time to take it off. Liberate yourself. You deserve it.
Blessing from Ella xx