Being authentic, open and honest all the time is tiring. It’s boring to not be able to make up stories or pass along little fibs, and it’s high time I tried something different. It’s time to create a persona that’s made up of only the good things about me, while simultaneously filtering and, if needed, censoring my rants.
Just this weekend, as I launched into a tirade at my sister for being what I perceived to be lazy, I thought to myself: “Dude, just lie to her. Tell her you’re not mad and pretend everything is okay.”
Turns out, my yelling at her was uncomfortable, but it broke the unspoken tension between us and we ended up having a great time planning the party.
But that uncomfortableness wasn’t worth it. It never is. I’m far better off telling people what they want to hear and/or anything to make them feel better. If I have an opinion that may not be universally liked, I’ll filter the bad parts out or even not say it.
Our lives are already tough enough. Why do we waste so much time dealing with stuff that doesn’t even matter right now? Who gives a crap about principles if they’re not really real, either? Besides, as long as a lot of people are around to hear what I say, I’ll know what I’m doing is correct.
So join me, everyone. Let’s spend the rest of our lives acting one way in public and private, one way off and online and one way when you’re alone and one when you’re not. It will make disagreements more rare and it will allow us to get the word out about what we’re doing to everything who wants to listen.
Remember, we’re all in this together, but unless we continue to grow, nothing really matters. No matter what we end up doing, being on the same page will make everything okay.
Or we could all be more like Cee-Lo (totally NSFW or around your grandma or your young kids. Or you, if you’re lame.):
