Time to get something off my chest.

Over the past years, I have noticed how the Persona or false Self is misleading me and others into thinking that other people have figured out life. However, the further I have gotten into life and my studies, it has become evident that we are all, to an extent suffering from this flawed perception of society and others. Consequently, the flawed perception has influenced our views and beliefs about life, which is often perpetuating a negative frame of the global situation and our lives. The most significant impact this flawed perception has had is the idealisation of other individuals. The people who seem to have achieved the societal demands in appropriate timing often get related to success.
 
The word success seems to be intertwined with these societal demands, especially the demands that have been perpetrated by society through decades. Such demands or achievements as marriage, relationships, careers, finances, etc. However, most people who chase after success present an image of the false Self or Persona, which is often in accordance with these societal demands, which is not something they often desire. The false Self is similar to Jung’s Persona in that both acknowledge that people construct a façade that is based on external demands, which is often influenced by negative experiences and conditionality. Due to these experiences, the individual attempts to improve or adjust their behaviours, actions, opinions, etc. However, these adjustments are based upon rejections and desire for love. Additionally, this false Self has been speculated to be one of the causes of some mental disorders.
 
Some may never acknowledge their lives being shaped by the false Self or Persona, which can lead them into emptiness or purposelessness. The feeling of being an actual living being without necessarily living. Based on personal experiences, many of my previous colleagues faced this particular challenge, which was evident through their apathetic mood on a daily basis. For example, I worked with a 62-year-old man who never seemed to be enthusiastic, and based on our brief conversations, it was evident he had strict parents whilst growing up. The most evident behaviour exhibited by him was how he behaved incredibly appropriate, which was almost similar to a machine. Additionally, he was never exposed to any forms of activities except for anything related to academia. However, this man was still successful based on society’s perspective, which would suggest that he should have been more enthusiastic about life.
 
The lesson behind these experiences has been to be less impressed by others and my own Persona, which is often just a false image constructed to receive care and love. The care and love we never received when we were not the ideal or good individual the external world desired us to be. Additionally, the conditional love and care given to us in order to become what others think are good for us. To emphasise, these are only the opinions of others, and they are not omnipotent, which means you can take the pen back again. In other words, these realistic, pragmatic, logical, and “common sense” people are just trying to manipulate us.

From: Arselan
To: The realistic, pragmatic, logical, and “common sense” people

Hi,

Fuck you, and you don’t get to control or manipulate me anymore.

Best wishes,
Arselan
 
Take the pen back again and start writing the story you actually want.