Wearing a mask can be so tiring. Pretending to be who you are not. Sometimes people forget who they are because they have worn this mask for so long. What people don’t realise it that they live most of their lives pretending and acting and lose themselves in the process.
The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends and family. The third face, you never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are.
Let me share this Aesop’s fable with you.
This is one of the best fables for children. Once upon a time, there lived a prince. The prince was fond of various things and liked to do things differently. One day, he decided to train a troop of wild monkeys. So, the monkeys were brought to his palace and the prince began training them how to dance. The monkeys soon became excellent dancers, after all, monkeys are natural mimics. These monkeys were even better dancers than the courtiers of the court.
As time progressed, the prince clothed them in royal clothes, embroidered with brilliant colours, they were given beautiful hats and masks. The monkeys began performing for the court. Every night, the stage was set and the monkeys danced spectacularly to the music.
The talk of these monkeys travelled far and wide. Soon, the prince’s palace was flocked my men, women and children alike. All of these people came to witness the dance of the famous dancing monkeys. Night after night, the monkeys danced with elegance and near perfection. The audience filled the halls of the palace with applause and appreciation for the monkeys.
However, there was a courtier in the prince’s court who was extremely jealous of the monkeys. “Everyone loves the monkeys, but no one pays attention to me,” he thought. This courtier was the royal clown before the monkeys came, and his fame too had spread far and wide, he had been well known once. So, in a fit of jealousy, this clown decided to do something mischievous.
One night, when the monkeys were dancing as beautifully as ever, he threw a handful of nuts onto the stage. And then began a show of the true nature of monkeys. Off they stripped their clothes and masks and fought each other for the nuts. The hall was filled with the noise of the fighting monkeys and then with the audience’s laughter and the prince’s humiliation.
And that’s how the fame of the dancing monkeys came to an end. After all, no one can change their nature by simply wearing a mask.
MORAL OF THE STORY: NOT EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEE IS WHAT IT APPEARS TO BE.
When you are not authentic you fool yourself more than anyone else.
Truth is today we have become caged in our image perfect society. Instagramming a meal or a vacation has become more important than actually enjoying the food or the holiday. A selfie has become who you are and your latest post on social media defines your identity. The fear of being disposable makes you fearful and turns your self-preservation mode on. And then instead of being authentic you start to remain relevant.
Authenticity is about staying true to what you believe, not about your image— to be brave to express your genuine feelings and opinions.
Don’t confuse being genuine with permission to do whatever you want because sometimes you might end up hurting somebody in the process.
So just be real, keep it simple. It is hard but not impossible. Unleash your true self. Trying to please others all the time is anything but genuine. It’s who you become that matters. Accept the challenge of being yourself in a fake world.
