Hello everyone!!
Thought I'd jump on here for a bit this morning and unleash some energy.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"~Exodus 20-4.
I woke up this morning with thoughts of the major difference between the "image" of something and the genuine article. Image is virtually meaningless to me unless it is the un-toyed-with RESULT of authenticity. Take looking into a mirror for instance...we pretty much already KNOW what we are going to see before we stand in front of one, right? Does the mirror image tell you all you need to know about who you are? No. It only reflects back HOW YOU LOOK and we use it to polish that look. Image, reputation, and persona are the result of mirroring. When one invests in these things, the power of their lives is then transferred to others to create for them. In other words, to invest in image is to hand control over your entire being and life to those whom you believe to have a higher opinion of you than you do of yourself.
It would be like thinking you do not exist at all unless you are able to physically see yourself all the time. There I am, I am alive. Fragmented-thinking and feeling individuals are most likely to invest their entire beings into an image or as the case may be, many images. They view their varied "interests" as all that they are, and then they search for mirrors, but not just any mirror...they want the BEST representation of that interest that they can find so that an association can be built with that image. The concept of WHOLE WITHIN is lost on people focused on image. They please in order to be pleased, they give in order to be given to, they weave themselves into the carefully-chosen company that they keep. No price is too high as long as they are projecting that polished image.
Speaking from a place of authenticity, I can tell you that I really don't place much value on what others think of me, what they say about me, or how they view me if it is in contrast to what I know of myself. I know that all the decisions I make are an extension of myself. I am honest, I am trustworthy, I am hard-working, I am responsible, I am compassionate, I am passionate, and I put all of myself into all that I do. So really, any judgement of me outside of what I KNOW TO BE TRUE OF ME means NOTHING TO ME. I very rarely ever think...."wow, I wonder what he/she thinks of me"...because I don't worry myself with the opinions of others ABOUT me. I care about what I think of myself, how I feel about myself. I make mistakes, just like everyone else, but I have the sense to know that I am human and without trial and error, there would be no growth or knowledge gained. I judge myself, I have a conscience. Someone else's judgement PALES in comparison to mine of myself and I don't wait for someone else to "notice" my mistake before I take note, come clean, and make changes to avoid that same mistake again. I am in this life to LEARN and if I never see beneath the exterior of ANYTHING, I rob myself of a full life. My challenge is not to LOOK AS IF but to BE AS I AM. When you live like this, you are not creating an image, but freely allowing others to judge for themselves AND what other people think about you is none of your business UNLESS you're in the image-creating business--then it means EVERYTHING.
I think growing out of image is a sign of maturity. Owning who you are apart from all others is a sign of integrity. Knowing the difference between the image and the authentic is a sign of wisdom and acting according to values, truth, and conscience is the true measure of a man's character. An image is nothing more than a representation, a smoke screen, a cover. It is a mask designed to fit in, gain acceptance, wield control, and acquire attention and praise. Those who spend their lives building this image believe that they are controlling others, but truth be told, they are the controlled.
I don't know about ya'll, but I don't need any "reputation" to precede me...I'm all about the grand entrance. Images are backwards...think about that. Something that is not authentic falls apart faster, doesn't stand up to time very well, isn't as clear or as precise, and is inevitably branded fake by a trained eye. There are so many obstacles in this life as it is....why would anyone purposely negate themselves in this way--make this short time we have here about what they think other people want them to be, what they think is attractive to others, or what they think impresses others?
**NOTE: When I wake up with thoughts like this already spinning in my head, I KNOW that there is a message contained within them. This has been happening long enough now that I know there is a reason. I posted up to this paragraph yesterday and for some reason, I just did not have the point-drive to end on, so I worked on this a couple different times yesterday, did some editing, and saved to draft. All day long, the song that accompanies this post was banging around in my head as well...haven't heard it in ages, forgot the lyrics, so I decided to You Tube it and give it a listen, and much to my astonishment, it FIT. Also of note, the Lance Armstrong interview with Oprah aired last night and I was compelled to watch. THIS is a CLASSIC case of image over authenticity, how deluded one becomes about WHO they really are when their focus is set upon building, maintaining, and polishing an image. Sorely, for Mr. Armstrong, all 7 of his Tour De France titles have been revoked, all of his professional endorsements have pulled out, and even the foundation for which his "legacy" of his battle with cancer and his cycling accomplishments before and after ----Livestrong has asked him to step down. His family is devastated as he drags them through HIS Karmic crash of "too late, nothing to show, and I cannot ever be trusted." I quote him: "my fate was sealed." And indeed it was Lance. His disposition, body language, and even the words he spoke made me think that this guy STILL doesn't acknowledge the MAGNITUDE of damage he has done to himself and his life. As accepting a person that I am, I couldn't help but think that this admission of deceit, criminal behavior, and bullying of his teammates, lying to his family and anyone who supported him during his "time to shine" came just a TAD too late. Maybe if he would have gotten a stroke of conscience the FIRST time he was investigated and accused, ya know, BEFORE he went and hired high-powered attorneys to sue the people FOR the allegations, and didn't act like such a cocky, arrogant hot-shot while he DEFENDED his behavior (which were blatant lies)...I would have at least appreciated his honesty. But as it is....I believe that he KNEW that it wasn't going away, where one investigation folded, another agency picked up, and now, he had no other CHOICE but to come clean. Much of what he said POINTED to that being the case. Now, no one really KNOWS who Lance Armstrong is, because he spent his life creating this "larger than life" image of himself...He doesn't even have a clue who he is anymore. He's lost himself in the Dynasty of Image.
So kids, I guess the moral of this story is this: Worshiping an IMAGE will take your life. This man is going to live the rest of his life in "what if" or "I wish I could go back"....because everything he worked so hard to build upon his image and his life's passion, he has LOST-- and that really isn't the worst of it. Now, he will begin to see the fallout of his choices and learn that once trust is broken and the truth twisted and assumed as your own without consideration of the damage it will do or is doing to yourself and others, you may as well pack it in. I believe that the diagnosis of testicular cancer was a "chance" for him to see things differently....but instead, he even used that to further leverage himself to what he believed to be "untouchable" status. I'm ashamed FOR him.
I really hope, for his sake that he is man enough to not just "admit" that he made self-serving, divisive choices, but that he will OWN it one day, because it is obvious, he hasn't yet reached that stage. REMEMBER THIS: You TRADE your full potential in for any image you instead choose to create for yourself. Don't sell out!! This man has officially reduced himself to being a POSTER BOY for my drive-point in a blog. WOW!
"I think it better to do right, even if we suffer in so doing than to incur the reproach of our consciences and posterity."~Robert E. Lee.
"It is not likely that posterity will fall in love with us but not impossible that it may respect and sympathize; so a man would rather leave behind him the portrait of his SPIRIT rather than the portrait of his FACE."~Robert Louis Stevenson.
End of story!
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