#42: Why is it so hard to reveal who we really are?
I mean, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to claim that many of us don’t know who we really are; making it, you know, kind of hard to reveal to others.
But let’s suppose the reader has, to a reasonable degree, cracked the enigma of their self. Why then is it so hard to reveal?
The answer (a least to me) is obvious: fear.
It is fear that makes it so hard to reveal who we really are. Specifically, fear of rejection. By friends, family, colleagues, strangers, and society.
But the more I think about it, it may not even really be rejection, at least not in the way we typically think of it. Perhaps a fear of disappointing others? Or better yet: a fear of being seen as different. A worry that the revelation of who we really are may change the way others see us, and could even potentially go on to jeopardize those relationships.
I have an exceptionally difficult time revealing who I really am to others. It’s hard to do. Not only for me, but for everyone. It requires trust, of the real kind, which takes time to develop. It requires vulnerability, openness, and most important of all, the person to whom we are revealing ourselves needs to have the understanding and sensitivity to the entire affair.
I suspect many people don’t reveal who they really are to many others at all.
Sad.
