It has been an observation that all people are duplicitous, always have been, and always will be. Some have more separation between their two sides, but we all have them. This image of the apple makes me think of this. Billy Joel expressed it very well,
“Well, we all have a face
That we hide away forever
And we take them out and
Show ourselves
When everyone has gone
Some are satin, and some are steel
Some are silk, and some are leather
They’re the faces of the stranger
But we love to try them on.”
What you show the world
I don’t think that anyone can argue with the premise because we don’t go around showing the world everything about ourselves. We show them what we want them to see or are comfortable with them seeing. This apple is like that because you will see something undesirable if you look at the bottom, and it looks like it is no good. However, if you look at the top, the apple still looks healthy and normal. If the apple
could choose to show you only its healthy-looking side; you would assume it was a normal and healthy apple without knowing the hidden damage underneath. All people are this way to some degree.
Hide Your Damage
People hide their damage from the world for a couple of reasons. First of all, nobody wants to be judged on the things that have happened and hurt them. Nobody knows how much someone has been hurt or why. It seems a narrow thought process to label someone for one small part of their life. Most often, judgments come from selfishness to point out someone else’s pain to hide our own. Or deflect attention from the very same issues in one’s own life.
Another reason people practice this separation is that if people knew their true feelings on things and issues, they would reject them, and they would lose acceptance in society. This fear keeps many wearing their masks for their entire life, showing what they know will be accepted and hiding their different faces, regardless of the honesty behind them.
Why Be Shady?
It seems that people would be a lot happier if they could be who they are, think what they want, and be allowed to heal their damage. This is the way of the human condition, and we will continue to exist like the apple showing what we believe to be our shiny side to the world while we hurt underneath.
It makes you wonder if everything you see from people is just a mask or if they are trusting you enough to show you what they really think. That is why people like dogs because you always know exactly where you stand with them. I have met people I thought I knew well, who proved over time to be hiding their true self behind a veil of lies and misinformation. I can’t judge too harshly.
Keep To Yourself
How much of myself do I keep to myself? Just because I don’t want to put myself in front of the speeding train of judgment. Much like all of our superheroes, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and the like, they maintain a “secret” identity to protect a part of themselves. I think it is to give them a safe space to live, outside of the public
pressure of being Superman. I think there is a bit of that in all of us.
Regardless of where you stand personally on the subject of duplicity, I will know that you, as well as everyone else, have a duplicitous identity. I guess the trick is to see which side of themselves any person is choosing to show you at any one time.
