One of the mysteries of life is identity. Our own identity. Most people never meet themselves. Sometimes gossip about them is discovered, and they wonder how that story got started. We know what we look like in a mirror, but we get in the habit of poses. A mirror in a department store is fun to watch. That is, fun to watch other people react. Sometimes you see the face change, the chin goes up, the lids come down from a wide eyed look. If you tell me you don’t react to a mirror surprise, I will smile inside. Yeah, right. Most people want to see themselves in a good light. You may not be hollywood good looking, but we all want to look pleasant. A sincere friendly look helps you look pleasant. Never a plastic smile. It looks suspicious. I think people like movies for positive identities. In most movies, one identifies with the main character. Even if that character looks weak and disagreeable at first, we like it then they do something life changing and worthwhile. We are that person for an hour. Books did the same thing. Humans want to be good and smart and clever and socially appealing. That does not always mean moral. The popularity of the Bonnie and Clyde movie shows that. In The Sting, the plot was about setting up a scam, a big lie, but we loved it. We liked living Scarlet O’hara’s life of using her beauty and intelligence to get things. We liked it when the melancholy ending showed her planning the rest of her life in positive tones. In A Tale of Two Cities, we even faced the guillotine with a feeling of redemption, as our character had shown the ultimate empathy. We should watch for and try to set up positive energy for those that are depressed about their looks, their personal appeal, their low level identities. These people could become the bullies and/or revenge seekers, or people with no ambitious drives. A realistic but self accepting identity is good to encourage in ourselves and in others. There is humor in the human condition. It is good to laugh at one’s foibles, and learn to not trespass on the need for identity support in others.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 16:12:37 +0000
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