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Secret Identity

Unmasked...
Unmasked…

Blog posting content accumulates in my writer’s head until it forms into a concept mass: current line of thinking and consideration–secret identities. The disclaimer is I know you know all about this, and that this is nothing new, and has been analyzed and probed about a million megabytes previously. But I still need to write.

There is this other dimension we all live in  where we are not ourselves but also ‘meta” selves. Consider a Facebook chat or thread: we post comments, try to encourage others to think or smile, or challenge notions and ideologies. We must censure ourselves, watch our tone and meaning, and weigh carefully the ramifications of being potentially misunderstood. No wonder that so many play on-lines games or belong to chats where the quick response is almost as quickly forgotten and dissipates in the running stream of dialogue? The impermanence is deceptive. Just because the one drop of water cannot be distinguished from the rest doesn’t mean the river has gone. But we are driven to demarcate ourselves nonetheless, so be heard if even marginally.

Stop for a moment and think: how many times have you posted a comment to a news story? A Facebook post? How many screen names do you have? How many relationships do you have where you have never seen the other person’s face? In other words, how many (secret) identities do you have?
Lois Lane and Mary Jane Watson do not have the luxury of hiding behind a mask; this makes them a target and vulnerable. I imagine Mary Jane trolling MySpace behind her screen name “SpiderSquasher224” or Lois playing a MMORPG under the nom de plume, Kryptonite Killer. LOL, Lois, LOL indeed.
But humanity–hate to break it to you, but you are unmasked. Through those streaming chats every identity is exposed loud and clear. There are the bullies, the bigots, the peacemakers and the politics. There are angry, whining, intelligent and confused voices.
To my relationships with whom I have never actually met in person: thank you for the opportunity to know you in some way. Some of my most insightful epiphanies come from friendships that are 100% virtual. For those of you who use this medium to troll, harass, intimidate, or even simply discourage (discouragement is soul poison), pat yourself on the back and check-off “I know how to be a jerk” off of your life list and use this power for good, not evil. Even though the screen name is a drop, a mere blip of light, there is a human on the other side. Don’t lose your humanity in the sea.
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2 thoughts on “Secret Identity

  1. The meta-self concept is hard for me, because it is so accurate and yet so scary. It’s a bit like a horcrux (I stole that one from a student) and I find it exhausting sometimes.

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