Bravery

Bravery.  Growing up, I remember feeling different than everyone else.  Like an outsider.  Like I was following a different script.  Like I didn’t fit the mold that society had created.  A sensitive kid who identified more with non-conventional pursuits instead of what most everyone else was doing.  A teenager who was drawn more towards the eccentric nonconformists instead of the so-called normal.  Now that I’m older, I’m beginning to realize that maybe everyone else feels the same way to a certain extent.  Even the people who seem to fit the template perfectly.  They are just better at creating the illusion.  We all want to fit in.  We all want acceptance.  One of our basic needs.  To be loved.  So we take on these roles in order to survive.  Not unlike a character played by an actor in a movie, we carefully build our persona, our outside façade.  This front is of utmost importance.  The figurative mask that keeps us alive.  We wear it for so long that we eventually lose touch with who we are underneath.  We forget about the one wearing this disguise.  But we’re still here.  It’s really just a matter of peeling our outer layers, lifting our veil.  We talk about the importance of being brave, of always being courageous.  I am beginning to understand that the ultimate act of bravery is showing up as your authentic self.  Everything else falls into place from there.  Stop hiding.  Be brave.