A Secret Life

Is it possible to ever "live" another life? Would someone ever be truly happy pretending to be someone they're not? Welcome to the life of an actor. In some ways, actors are found hidden within everyone; they are not only the people found on stage or on the movie screen. It is something more. Sure, an actor could play an epicure in a movie, eating at the best restaurants and drinking only the most expensive wines. However, the question I would like to present is: How much of our lives do we spend pretending?

Everyone has probably been to at least one bacchanal, where they would find themselves dancing, drinking, eating, or socializing. Exactly how many people in the room pretend to be someone they're not? Are they doing something that's socially acceptable? Whether we want to do something or not, people are imbued with the lifestyles of today. We are forced to bend ourselves to "fit in". No one would want to be deemed a "loser", would they?

I would exhort most by telling them to stop pretending. I would tell them to be themselves, rather than who they want to be. It's a world of ideals. However, if I were to spread my thoughts, I would just call myself a hypocrite. I would not want to preaching bombastic words, when I don't even support them. I would sound like a know-it-all who, in reality, knows nothing.

This also might explain why it seems so odd to see some famous actor in a cameo. They would usually be found playing the main role, but why did they only make a quick appearance? One would think, "That's not like them to do that." The problem is, we would never really know if it's like them to do that. We don't know anything about the actor or person.

I want to see how many people actually live lying to others, and most importantly, themselves. How hypocritical can we all really be? I cannot deny what I've done in my life. I've pretended to be someone I'm not; I've outright lied to others; I've acted like a complete fool. Who is to say though, exactly when we're acting? If we "pretend", does that mean we don't really know ourselves? Is this a way to escape answering the question? We want to find ourselves and express ourselves in major ways, but how can we do so?

I've been ranting on about pretenders and actors, but I don't think that I can even answer my own question. How much of our lives do we spend pretending? It would be too harsh to say we spend our entire lives pretending, but it would be a lie to say we never pretend. We live in a society based on focusing on others' opinions. Who is to say what is really cool and what's not?

I have found that pretending is an addiction. You say one thing to escape another, and you just continue to do it for the rest of your life. It is an addiction, a habit, that no one wants to admit. So to answer the question of how much of our lives we spend pretending, there really is no answer. We do it unconsciously, and many refuse to admit it. Meet the leaders of tomorrow.