Don't let them see you sweat!
Seems like there are so many things in our lives that we don't want other people to see.
It's practically built into us, from a very early age, that there are all sorts of things about ourselves that we should never share with other people.
Don't talk about money, don't talk about family, don't talk about mental health, don't talk about (your) politics...
And yet?
We give an awful lot of lip service to such ideas as "being transparent" and "living authentically."
But if you're compelled to hide stuff, how can you be either of those?
In spite of the fact that I grew up with an entire laundry list of things I was "not to share" about myself, my life is one that has mostly been dominated by what some people might call OVER-sharing. Which — I think — is just a phrase invented by people who prefer to isolate themselves from the realities of life.
My parents were very private, except for their substantial "public display" which always baffled me as a young kid. Or maybe what baffled me was the way my friends' families were far more open about the ways of their lives.
But why hide so many things?
Ostensibly, the idea was to either not appear weak or somehow "less than" others. I never really "got" the whole "keeping up appearances" thing, but it seems so important to many.
In later years, my mother was always horrified by what I seemed open about my life.
What made me contemplate all this was someone quite openly admitting their poverty on their Facebook page, on occasion of the food stamp/SNAP program stopping here in the US because of the government shutdown.
Specifically, there were many comments from this person's friends that they "had no idea" that this person was financially suffering.
Never let them see you sweat!
Is it pride?
In this case there was an outpouring of help and offers of help that would not otherwise have been there.
We talk a lot about the importance of community, but if we keep ourselves hidden from the community... what is even the point of being part of one?
You can't hope to get help if nobody is even aware that you need help!
Life is challenging for most of us, but what is really to be gained from pretending that "everything is OK" when clearly it is not?
Loosely related, I am glad to see that a number of local eateries have started offering low cost/no cost meals to local residents who are struggling because of the SNAP shutdown.
There definitely are still good people in this world!
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!
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