Inside Out

Some guy I knew briefly a couple of years ago sent me Bryan Adams’ song “Inside Out” at one point in time and, in the folly of youth, I got excited. I thought the man really wanted to know who I was; my darkest hour, my hardest fight.

Do we ever really know the people around us? Do we ever know who our partners are? Yes, surely we know how they talk and how they behave, but that is only true for what they choose to reveal to us. We know only that much, and nothing else.

Many people lead double lives or have secrets they do not share with anyone no matter how close. Wouldn’t it be naive to expect anyone to be who they appear to be? Don’t we all pretend to be someone we are not, every single day? Don’t we smile unwillingly just to be pleasant, or nod in agreement when we disagree, or go to a job we hate? Isn’t that acting? Aren’t we all actors?

The foolishness of expecting people to be who they appear to be reveals a pattern of stereotypical thinking which is completely illogical. Nobody is ever just one person. We think we know that, but we constantly fall for the illusion of this one persona and feel betrayed when we find out the multi-layered truth.

I believe that we purposefully live in duplicity. We keep secrets and expect others not to have any, we act and expect others to be honest, and when we find out that they are actors just like us we see this simplistic conviction crumble and fall. We then act surprised because how could they?

I also believe that nobody really wants to know anyone for who they truly are. Polished and well-thought out acting is best and blunt reality is never in demand. Isn’t that why so many partnerships end with divorce, or continue in resentful boredom — their actors short on fuel in the overwhelming presence of everyday reality?

I, for one, do not need to know anyone for who they truly are. I don’t think it is possible for anyone to know who I truly am either, because I myself do not know. I am a good actress and a good muse, and I try to keep the company of like-minded people. No expectations, no shocks, we improvise and act life out. Our hardest fight is to keep the offensive truth at bay and to sing its praises at the same time. What is truth but a distant tease, anyway?