Real Versus Phony

Well, I haven't blogged on this blog for a while.  It'll be interesting to be back, that is, if anyone is actually reading any of these.

Anyways, I thought I would evaluate what it means to be real versus what it means to be phony or fake.  Look at any notable piece of literature, there always seems to be the person who is fake, or different from the rest.  Holden in The Catcher in the Rye points out countless phonies.   Gatsby, from The Great Gatsby, had real motives, but his life was fake.  The whole life that the notorious Oedipus was living was a fake life, a lie if you will.

Now, what is a real person?  What is a phony, fake person?  Well, that depends on who the evaluator is and who the evaluated is.  To me, a fake person is one who tries to modify themselves to impress others.  Yes, conforming is fake.  Conforming is changing so others can view you in a light that is better than the light which you view yourself.  Whether is it conforming for one person or one thousand, conforming is fake.  Now for what a real person is.  That is the harder one.  What makes a person real?  Don't we all view ourselves as real?  Personally, I see myself as a completely real, legitimate person.  Am I so ignorant though that I can't recognize my own faults?

I'll tell you the ultimate fault.  Being the judge.  As humans we are so quick to judge.  We don't know what is going on in that persons life, yet we are so quick to judge them.  Yes, I am writing this blog critiquing others, yet I probably don't know what is going on in many lives out there.  That's why some people can really strike a deep chord in me.  Knowing the life and story of people, then seeing them in a phony light can really get to me.  I know these two people so well, and they try as hard as they can to impress me or others around me.  WHY?  They are so unoriginal and fake, it is beyond anger for me, it is borderline rage.  I'll admit, I conformed to society.  It is not socially acceptable to yell at them and call them out for it.  That would be "rude" and "harsh".  Yes, it would be, and even if it was socially acceptable, I don't know what I would say.

There is definitely some sort of psychological aspect to my thinking.  I believe I have grown up in a household with lots of conformity... I believe I have grown up in a society that is always conforming.  That's why this topic is on such thin ice.  In all honesty, everyone conforms in some sort of way.  Everyone does their own thing also.  I view others as phony, but people may view me as phony.  I view myself as real, but who doesn't?  Nobody is going to admit that they aren't real.

Anyways, I just thought I would vent on the topic.  It is such a slippery slope living in our society.  Everyone is so different, and recognizing that may be another flaw of mine.  I, just like everyone (conforming?), want life to be perfect and everyone around me to be perfect.  We all know that won't happen.

-NPS