"EVERYBODY'S FOOL" in "WRITER@WORK: Stories From A Lone, Urban Girl"

How do you see yourself every day? How do you feel when you look in the mirror? Do you like what you see, so far at least?

The harsh truth is, we can be such fools by doing one of these two (2) things:
1. Being too honest.
2. Lying, especially too much.

I’m not saying that honesty is bad. To an extent, it’s the best policy. You save people’s time and energy from having to figure out too much whether you’re real or fake. (If you’d like to waste your own pretending that way, that’s another story.)

The problems with being too honest are these:
- You reveal literally EVERYTHING (especially way, way too son and to the wrong people!)
- You lose the boundaries between plain honesty and rudeness.\

So, how can one tell? Live and learn, my friends, even when you still have to burn. Like it or not, that’s the only way to find out. Not everybody is that kind and trustworthy. Even if they do at first, how long will it last? Realistically-speaking, some people just want to use that against you.

No worries, it’s not always about you. Oftentimes, it’s their own personal issues and their lack of ability to handle them. Unfortunately, you happen to pass them by and look exactly like the perfect target for their pent-up, displaced anger.

This is why it’s better to play your cards right. Don’t show your whole deck, especially way too soon and to the wrong people. This doesn’t mean you’re lying or want to deceive. You’re entitled not to tell everyone everything about you. It’s your choice and privacy.

Then how about lying? Perhaps there are some who excuse ‘white lies’. They think they’re okay and don’t harm anybody. It’s just the same as not telling everything.

Sure. Let’s keep telling ourselves that.

To some people, lying makes their oh-so-boring lives feel more interesting. Be Drama Kings and Queens. Create your own soundtracks to sing. Make your own plots. Change them if you’re not happy, basically just like how you deal with life for real. Cast away the old players who choose to see the real you instead of loving the characters you’re playing.

What happens when your self-made fiction is a lot more convincing and loveable than the real you? What if they love your good-looking mask more than the real you underneath it all? How would they know, if you never wanted to show them your real face, be true to yourself?

Just like those who are too honest and open, people who need to pretend may treat the world the same way: as their stage. The central spotlight should always be on them, nobody else. They (think they) always do everything right. They memorise their reliable lines by heart. They’ve been trying to look perfect from the start, instead of…being human.

Unfortunately, just like all shows, everything has its ending. When all is revealed, they will become nothing…but everybody’s fool.

R.