All The World's A Stage

“Usually, when we feel anger, we become angry.  We are anger itself.  When we feel depressed, we are depression.  When we feel greedy, we are greed.  It’s easy to see ourselves in the emotional ‘guise du jour’ and mistake this costume for who we really are beneath it”.

-Marc Gilson

 

Shakespeare was correct when he said all the world’s a stage and all of us are actors.  Although I strive to be the same person wherever I am, I cannot deny that some parts of my life are acting.  Certain situations force me to act a certain way.  Much to the consternation of some of the directors who guide the plays of life, I don’t always stay on script.  Generally when we are acting, we are playing a character that may or may not be anything like who we really are.  I am sure many of you have favorite movie stars who play a character that you like.  More often than not, the actor is nothing like the character they are playing.  In a similar vein, when we are experiencing various emotions and feelings, they are generally not who we really are.  Who we really are is what some people call our true selves or our essence.   When you strip away the feelings, the armor, the acting, and the defense mechanisms we all show to those around us, what is left is the real person.  The goal of life is to find the real person that we are.  As we journey through life we must discard the many false selves to reveal our true essence.  For some this is a natural, often unconscious process that happens as we age.  For others it is an intentional way of life.  Those who purposely seek their true selves are often those people that others see as spiritual seekers.  When one begins to achieve this awareness of self, it brings a sense of peace, calm, and acceptance that you are who you are meant to be and you are where you are meant to be.