The Stage
All the world's a
stage, And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits
and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts
We, as humans, tend to think that we are the only players on
the stage of life. Life is all about
us. We are the only children who have
been abused, traumatized, loved, never loved, and so on. But, the world is filled with players on a
quite imperfect stage. Life was never
meant to be easy. I use this cliché with
the upmost respect, as many of the clichés we use in life are utilized for a
reason and a purpose. We all have a
reason for the way we live, and many of us are striving for the same
things. We want to be happy. Happiness can mean just about anything: rich,
poor, glamorous home, being a singer, actor, athlete, or simply someone famous,
no matter what they are famous for.
Being infamous, for some of us, is just as important and just as good as
being famous. Some of us just want to be
loved; some of us just want to be able to afford to live, but happiness is
defined by the person who is striving for it, not by society, parents, friends,
and other people in our lives. So, the
stage that we play on is multifaceted like an endless diamond in the rough that
does not shine in the light but is iridescent nonetheless. This life is filled with scripts we don't
have the lines to, roles we don't have the directional compass for, and endless
opportunities to learn. Let's talk about
the word players.
Player:
1.
A person who plays a musical instrument
2.
A person taking part in a sport or game.
Of course, if you are a wise man/woman, then you are very
much aware that I'm not talking about the player who sidles up to women, talk a
little in their ear, and walk away with the prize and the envy of other
men. No, that's not what I'm talking
about. But, this person, this character
of infinite charisma and plenty of stories to tell, has a place on the stage of
life. His entire life is a role; he
changes faces for each woman he approaches and probably has a better aptitude
for acting than Hollywood's best actor to date.
But, I digress…
No, player in the master of poetry, William Shakespeare’s,
play As You Like It was talking about men and women as a part of the
world. We, all of us, are actors in a
way. Think of the typical American
woman, who has a million things she's juggling.
She has several roles in life.
Most women are wives, mothers, students and/or professionals, and homemakers. Those are the general roles that women play
in life. Men also have their roles in life:
husband, father, and student and/or professionals. Along with these very general roles, there
are so many more such as associate, friend, co-worker, and sometimes, manager
or supervisor. These roles only scratch
the surface. There are other activities
that we pull into the juggling act such as gardener, basket ball coach or
player, comedian, and so on. I have only
named the more positive roles so far, but there are the more socially
unacceptable and negative roles we play such as smoker, addict, and so on.
The reason this is so important to the soul searching
process is because being aware of the role you play on your own personal stage
is important to being who you want to become.
I stated the sentence before very purposefully. There is the person that others want you to
be; there is the person you are in front of others; and there is the inner
personal you. We all play a role; don't
kid yourself into thinking that you don’t behave differently when you're in
public than you do at home. Don't pretend
with yourself that you are not nearly always conscious of what others think of
you. Being who you want to become is
very different than who people think you should be and who you believe you are,
and who you really are. So, knowing the
roles you play in life is important; it helps you become aware of who you are
in the moment. Think about the way you
care for your children, if you have them.
Then, think, will I ever do this for anyone other than my children. The answer to that question is more than
likely going to be, "no." If
it isn't, don't worry about it. You're
still a great human being I'm sure, but the truth is that most people will put
up with a great deal more from someone they love than they will from someone
they either simply like to be around or heartily dislike.
We all know that when we dislike a person, we treat them
differently. For me, I'm either super
quiet or overly polite. If I don't know
a person, the same applies. I would
rather be polite and distant than to treat someone with disrespect, but that's
my way of being. Do you know yours? Do you understand your feelings? Are you willing to travel into the depths of
your soul to find the person within? If
so, start with the stage. You think
about the roles you play as a person on a daily basis. Who are you in the moment you are a mother or
father? What do you do when you're a
friend? Who are you at work? Does the person you are at work completely
diverge from the person you are at home?
Do you like to be alone and can happily spend an afternoon reading? Or, are you a person who enjoys company and
fears being alone? Your answers do not
matter to me, as they are your answers.
I encourage you to ask yourself some of these questions. Answer them honestly, as you don't have to
share your answers with anyone but yourself and your higher power. There are no wrong answers. There are no right ways to find yourself
within the vastness of the stage you have been thrust into. While life is not meant to be easy; it gets a
little easier the more you know yourself.
It gets a little easier as you learn your own patterns. It gets even easier as you find things you'd
like to change in your life and yourself for you, alone, and no one else. The truth is that no matter how much you love
your family: husband, wife, children, mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and
friends; they can't dictate who you are, only you can do that. So, take the leap and plunge into the void of
your soul and find out what you will find there. You'd be amazed at the person you find; how
that person is more wonderful than you may think; and how much of a pleasure it
is to spend time with that person.
In the next post, we will continue the discussion of
self-awareness by discovering what the essential needs are and how we can incorporate
them into our lives. I invite you to
comment and have a discussion. I would
like to know what you think; I look forward to interacting with you again soon.
Until next we meet, stay encouraged and affirmed,
Nell
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