"No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true."
- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Saving Face
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6 comments:
Yes in fact it is true. But after all we all tend to wear different masks for different people. I destroyed them all three years and I never miss them, but still some times I wish I could put the blind mask on and love my mother.
Beautiful post B. I love your blog. So thought provoking.
Carra...it seems such a deeply sub-conscious thing...this wearing of different faces. I know it must be some kind of defense mechanism but in the end, I am the only one that is fooled. For me, I think the key to getting back to that one true face stems from my earlier post on following one's bliss.
Thanks, always, for the kind comments! It means a lot to me, Carra.
You are right B about following the bliss, that makes us take away not only our masks but also our illusions. Are you following the bliss?
That is generally pretty true.
Seneca wrote something akin to (sorry, I can't locate the quote and my memory fails me as to its exactness): "We should comort ourselves in such a way that if asked what we were thinking, we could answer without hesitation of embarrassment."
Sorry, that hat "comort" should be "comport"
carra...yes, i think that if you live in service to the nurturing of that bliss, it should set you free from a false sense of self...because following one's bliss necessitates the ability to look inward and discover who we truly are and what makes us happy.
i feel that i know where my bliss lies, but sadly, right now, i feel that a significant part of my life compromises my ability to follow my bliss completely. however, acknowledgment is a huge part of the battle and i feel certain that i can be true to that pursuit very shortly.
Richard...yes, when put in those terms, one sees that it is not only our actions and the "face" we show the world that requires regulation, but also our thoughts and intentions. If we start with thoughts and actions as this quote by Seneca suggests, I believe our actions will not betray who we are.
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