Altering faces

BINIT GURUNG

A friend of mine once said to me –“You’re not what you seem,” At first, I was unable to make out in what sense she said so. Later, she explained - ‘’How can anyone be so good all the time? You always show your goodness. I suspect you’ve other sides too.’’ Apparently, she’d been at a loss, unable to establish a precise opinion of me as I was so consistent in my behaviour with her that eluded her from understanding me. I was relieved that her observation didn’t have any negative overtones. However, her observation has a deep implication, though it may seem trivial from the outside. Indeed, I agree I’ve other sides too and so we all have. Actually, we all wear multiple layers of mask on our face. We change the mask unconsciously as per the time, context and the people we’re dealing with.

Adaptation is a key to sustenance for all the living beings. I surmise this adaptation is relatively complex in human beings as we’ve extra-ordinary mental power. We’ve to cope not only with the changing environmental conditions but also with an array of emotions produced by or demanded by the changing time and context. Coping with emotions, intense pressure and other mundane situations requires flexible bent of mind. Thus, our social world contributes to our dynamic selves.

Deconstructionists argue that human beings have conflicted and unstable identity. As per the deconstructionist theory propounded by Jacques Derrida, language is ambiguous as it carries the prevailing conflicting ideologies and values of the time. As our perception is dictated by the ambiguous language we’ve internalised, our view of the world itself is as ambiguous and therefore, the way we are is also confusing and conflicting. Our identity is subject to change in a confusing way.If somebody asks you to ‘define yourself’ don’t you go through a moment of hesitancy before you utter your say? Don’t you feel the inadequacy of words to define the person you think you are? Don’t you find difference in your answer when the same question is asked to you at an interval of a certain period of time? You are bound to give different versions of your answer.

When my friend suspected me of having other sides, she was unaware that she herself bore multiple sides. However, it is to be noted that hypocrisy and having multiple sides should not be taken in the same light. The former is sheer dishonesty whereas the latter is something inherent in all of us. You may be a certain kind of person while you are home but once you start facing life as it comes you camouflage yourself according to the people around you, which is perfectly natural.