Man is a natural contradiction conflicting with himself continuously. We hold high standards of grandeur. We lift the standard of morality by establishing great ideals which stand for all that we hold with esteem. We speak in volumes of justice and liberty of goodness and honor. We lift high mythical heroes for their character of self sacrifice and noble causes. We seek designation among men by betraying what comes natural to us and seek to earn other approval through an ability to defy our nature. We all wear masks and behave as none would in a vacuum. Does the trained circus animal behave for his own pleasure or for the approval of others? Are we so different then them? We all wear masks. Sweeping remarks about mankind are difficult and few true for men are all different and no two are alike. There is seemingly always an exception to the rules when it comes to human behavior but I believe there are a few universal truths. We all lie. We all wear masks and hide ourselves. This is not as bad as it sounds at first. We must lie for there is no choice. Hiding ourselves is the natural thing to do for it is required for survival. Man is quick to judge others and too lazy to gather adequate information to do so. We judge each other quickly without second thought or appeal. We sit every day in judgment of those around us with utter disregard for our own failing of the standard to which we hold them. We look not at the soul within but to the acts which most dominate in our memory. Through colored glasses we see a life and make assumptions and judgments based upon a flawed and limited perspective. We must wear masks, we must lie for if we are to be constantly judged based on what we can control then there is no rational choice. For if one can pretend to be all that is thought of as good then those who do not pretend can have no chance of success. Because we all must pretend and hide our weaknesses accentuating our strengths every second of every day to avoid the ever constant judgment of all of our peers and others who act without knowledge or thought judging forever with a seconds incite. This pressure forces us all to play and since we all play our ideals of acceptable behavior is morphed from that which good men would naturally do to that which only good men could do, at least in theory, because if everyone is pretending to be that which suites their desires best then none is honest and no standard is true but that which can only be attained by some for if all could fain or even if one could fain then the standard is broken and of no use. Therefore we create an unobtainable standard that none can reach and raise an idea that we can never live. A theory which can never be reality but which must stand as law because of the utter chaos that comes from the ever present fraud. We can not judge a man we can not see and we can see no one unless they want to be seen. If the standard is too high then none wish to be seen and all will fain to meet the standard but all will fail for none can attain the standard through fraud which substantiates the standard but also makes it unobtainable. It is a ruthless cycle which can never be broken where by no living soul can truly know another for fear that they are unacceptable. Even those in love must keep their secrets in order to maintain respect in their eyes. It is a world where truth is a weakness to be exploited by all for their own satisfaction and where reality is so unknown it is seen as a pipe dream. Anyone who refuses this game will ultimately lose it even without their consent for there is no option. There are no exceptions and no reformation of the rules. The problem arises though that it is not the one that truly attempts to attain the high standards of society that wins the game as is though subconsciously by many but instead it is he who appears to be closest to the standards while ignoring those most. The person who can be farthest from the standard without being caught is he who will reign in this endless game. The rules are misleading in this game which requires all players to lie and cheat but the rules must be upheld as complex as that is. What rules apply when cheating is required however? This question is seductively simple but impossible to answer for it is more about getting caught than about playing by the rules. The rules can not be broken but cheating is required because to win you must break the basic rules that are told and follow those which are unspoken. You must defy the order while not getting caught and never concede. Is this the game we really wish to play? I think not but our lofty ideas mixed with out weakness and laziness give us little room for retort. We are bound to this cycle where the heroes are those who act like they embody our ideals most while not actually abiding by them and those who do in fact embody those ideals go unnoticed and neglected. The saints are those who draw attention best to their actions which lead us to see in them qualities we adore and long for while they do not have those qualities at all but merely fain them better than most while the true saints in their humility are left in obscurity. It is a cruel world that seems to contradict itself yet we lift up those who know how to play the game while those who should in all fairness win the match are left in the back of the pack consumed by those who pretend. It is a simply analogy. Those who train to race will always be beat by those who learn to run only the last length of the race through deception. Is it the sprinter who trains every day or the one who hides in wait? Is it the devoted or the one willing to take drugs? Is it the best man or the one who will break whatever laws and life is necessary to reach his goal? Is it the hard worker or the worker with leverage on his boss that is promoted most quickly? If only we recognized the true state of affairs and looked beyond the fronts that are shown and see the man behind the mask; the character within. It is not the man within but the actions that define a man, however, it is all the actions and their timing, location and motivation. We often miss the most important parts and see only the actions before our eyes not realizing that they are being done only for the benefit of our eyes while missing the more impressive acts which are done when no one sees. It is the secret that reveals the obvious and not the obvious that reveals the secret. It is the secret acts that show the heart for the mind is cunning and the heart is wise but when no one sees that truth is revealed. When the eyes are all turned away we find ourselves in a vacuum where we can make our own decision based on our own conscience rather than based on what will benefit us most when it is made public. It is the inward desires that drive us and not the outward behavior that covers them. The most corrupt and the most pure often have these two things in common. They often both look the same to observers and they often work very hard to shift attention from the bulk of what they do. The very good focus on their faults and magnify them to improve while the very corrupt hide their filth under layers of good deeds. This is the order of man and this is the bane of all society.
