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RE: The Onion Man - A Dissertation On Filters And Honesty - (An Original Thought)
Society does force us to wear certain masks. Contexts do as well. My authentic self may want to give a person specific directions to Mount Gofuckyourself, but unfortunately that is generally frowned upon and traditionally inhibits success. So weird, that. ;) There's an elegant way to be authentic and play within the rules though, if you choose to remove the mask entirely and paly the game differently.
hahahaha i love it. "My authentic self may want to give a person specific directions to Mount Gofuckyourself." <-- beautiful.
I'm interested in this game changer however.
Please elaborate! <3
Just because you can't give someone a map to the mountain doesn't mean you have to smile and nod, or just take someone's abuse or disrespect - in any context: social, professional. I don't think wearing a mask and being authentic are mutually exclusive. You owe it to yourself to BE your true self, as much as any of us can (considering we are on an everlasting journey to discover what "self" means to us, what we want it to mean, and seeing our personal truths through the mask we wear inside ourselves too). So instead, it's the challenge of finding a way to express yourself truthfully within boundaries of respect and social norms. As you illustrate well with your post, it's actually a gift to the other person to express your boundaries and thoughts as it can (potentially) help them evolve, too. In real terms: You are a woman being sexually harassed at work by a superiors "jokes" that leave you feeling uncomfortable and offended in the workplace. Should you drop a pin and shoot directions to Mt. FYS? No. Should you find the inner strength and courage to call it out? 100%! "I know you think you're joking Stewart, but your comments are making me increasingly uncomfortable. You do great work here, and I value what you bring to the team. I'd love to be able to say I see that same level of effort where it comes to the way you interact. Let's move forward from here being more aware of the things we say to each other at work. I know you are capable of better." Going further: Just because you can't or do not choose to share certain details about a facet of your life, perspective, truth... does not mean you can't move the needle there either. Play devils advocate. This is the difference between people who do and do not call out racist relatives. It's the difference between those who speak up when they see injustice. It's having the chutzpah to be the odd one out and the intellect to present contrary ideas in a way that can't be disregarded as vitriolic. It calls upon us to evolve personally to do this skillfully, but that's a challenge I love to rise to. (I hope I've expressed this well, I need more coffee still...) ;)
Beautiful, glorious sharing. <3 Thank you so much for this.