It’s needless to say that some of the best content for my blogs comes from natural interactions with close friends and family. The honesty I tend to share with my loved ones usually means that the conversations we have rarely solely sit within the trivial. I often wonder whether this is because I just naturally take conversations there or if people sensing the opportunity to be open and honest pursue this with me somewhat subconsciously.
I think the best way to explain my approach to life in general is that basically, I just wear my shit closer to the surface than everyone else. The easiest way to translate this is to say that when I’m not feeling so great or doubting something in my life, I tend to speak up and verbalise it. It draws on that concept once again that vulnerability and honesty dictate how my life is lived. It’s almost as if I can’t help myself. If someone were to ask me how I was and I wasn’t feeling so flash hot that day my answer would most definitely be.. yeah not so great.
It seems that this concept is one which is a little different to that taken in general. The tendency seems to revolve around the need to portray oneself as thriving always, even if you aren’t and more poignantly, even if that is not humanly possible to achieve in the first place.
A huge part of my life and my mandate as an individual has been a commitment to pursuing and prompting open dialogue. Something that usually means that when speaking with others or within my writing I tend to focus on the everyday struggles that seek to inhibit my growth, and most likely also others around me.
I saw this Instagram post the other day which was a disclaimer to the distortion Instagram presents by depicting a tiny window of people’s lives. And it’s always the ‘best of’ window. A plethora of recent studies have indicated that social media is not only harmful to people’s mental health but that it is setting some insurmountable comparisons within our own lives as we strive to ‘live our best life’, just like those we see on instagram.
Even within the accounts of those of us who are not paid for our posts, the majority of what we tend to put up rests on the ‘bests’ of everything. Whether it be our ‘fantastic and delicious’ meals, travel to ‘wanderlust worthy’ destinations or pouty selfies which have been analysed in minute detail to depict ‘our best side’, in the ‘best light’; I mean, need I go on.
I suppose it falls back onto the element of showing other people that we are living greatly, always. It rests on portraying a certain idea to the world in which others are supposed to see, be in awe of and aspire to lead similarly wonderful existences.
The problem with this is that this image is utterly distorted. It presents only a snapshot of that persons existence in which they are only putting up what they want you to see. Rarely do people put up untouched/uncropped images of themselves. Nor do you see the tiredness, or homesickness portrayed which is an inevitable result of long bouts of travel. You don’t tend to see posts associated with the days when people wake up and question themselves and the choices they have made so far.. even though these are all inevitable components of being a human being.
My point in all of this, including the analysis above focuses on the ideal that we need to stop portraying only the ‘best’ part of ourselves and our lives. We need to also post, speak and reflect on the things that are difficult, the things that didn’t go to plan. We need to be honest in order to set more attainable and realistic goals for ourselves and our lives and others.
So let’s stop trying to invest in the façade. Let’s not wear that mask anymore and let’s attempt to be honest about our experiences, as flawed, vulnerable human beings just trying to work it all out.
Sx
I blog for Change. 