week 51 | 2016

Posted on by kelley

you, you

You ever wonder how much of

your stress is perpetual?

Or how many times you’ve placed yourself on

pedestals on the backs

of your peers’ mishaps, failures,

misdirection, misinformation, and demise.

if it’s your fear

apprehension or condescension that ghostwrite your choices?

Or if your conviction or stubbornness defines you?

I guess I say this to ask..

Are you the “you” – you think you are?

© dáe

❤

20 thoughts on “week 51 | 2016”

  2. So I interpreted this as “Are you who people want you to be or are you, you regardless of the circumstances?” I could be wrong but I like to think of social media on your poem. Everyone has an avatar and that is their representation of them on social media. So are you that person or are you someone else? Not saying you Ms. Suede but generally speaking YOU.

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    1. Ms Suede! I love that! It’s sexy.

      Anywho, I like your interpretation. Social media is a great example. I know a lot of people take to it to speak their opinions and what needs to be done yet are doing not a thing outside of the screen.

      I read social media is a great platform for narcissists because they can put the most likable parts of themselves on display and the likes and kind words only help to perpetuate their self-centered behavior and make outsiders think, “hey, so and so is a good person.”

      I’m thinking about deleting my one account. I may be getting too old for it.

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      1. Yes just think of it like this:
        Society as a whole puts on its proverbial makeup. From dating (women literally putting on pounds of make up and guys putting on their bragging awards make up) to jobs and careers (jobs will never tell you in the interview the pitfalls of their product so they are getting dressed up to present to you a polished pig) from foods (foods have coloring and addictives that make it more appealing) etc. Yea fuck social media it’s all about WordPress because people actually read on here

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  5. This part: “ghostwrite your choices” is what got me. We all need to reflect and be a little more conscious about who we are, regardless of the medium. I recently had an in-depth convo with another WP blogger about authenticity. This reminds me of that discussion. Are any of us really being authentic, and if not, then who are we showing the world?

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  6. Nice piece! I really like your last line: are you the “you” you think you are? That is thought-provoking. It reminds me of Eastern philosophy – where a lot of folks believe that humanity is a mask worn by a Universal Self. What we call “you” and “me” are the same thing – we just impose arbitrary divisions, which cause stress, etc.

    It also brings to mind the idea that we are always trapped in the Mirror Stage. We look in the mirror and see the image of a coherent, wholesome being. But this is not how we experience ourselves – so we put our mirror image on a pedestal as our goal, our fantasy. The difference between our experience and our fantasy is also a cause of stress – as we are constantly chasing something that can never be achieved.

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    1. SO true! I feel like I talk about it so much, but relationships are a great analogy for this mirror stage or mask wearing. We need to continuously G check ourselves so that mask becomes so thin thin thin and accept that who we are isn’t so bad. Or take a harder look and say hey, you’re right. Let me go ahead and make some adjustments. The right people will like the real you and push the better you to become the best you, especially when YOU like you.

      And this piece was not written by me. I wish! Apologies for not making that clearer.

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      1. True story! Well stated! We need more introspection. I have always found it odd when people cannot laugh at themselves. That mask becomes everything … too serious. At the end of the day, we have to be willing to not take our personas as set in stone and be willing to critique ourselves and accept criticism.

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  7. “Or how many times you’ve placed yourself on pedestals on the backs of your peers’ mishaps, failures, misdirection, misinformation, and demise.” – People rising to the top off due to the “deficiency” of others, rather than the excellence of self. Am I wrong for thinking of racial disparities when I read this?

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