Some people have a difficult time facing truth and reality. They prefer to live in a make-believe world, pretending that certain things aren't happening. I was one of them.
In my childhood, it was easy to pretend than to tell the nagging society about my real feelings. It gives you a great deal of courage when you pretend you are strong.
You pretend you are a confident person, over the years You really tend to become one.
I have pretended for so many years, I accept it !
I have pretended to be a care free teenager, when I had many unconventional responsibilities !
I have pretended to be Brave, when in reality I was trembling inside with fear.
I have pretended to be happy, when there was only pain and sadness within.
I have pretended to love my LIFE, when I could have given anything to live someone else's.
I have pretended that I have a strong emotional support, when all I needed was someone to understand.
I have pretended that I don't care what you think of me, because I knew even If I tried you wouldn't like the real me.
I have pretended that society's harassing questions have not hurt me, when they did.
I have pretended that I have chosen to do it, honestly I had no choice.
Few years back there came a sudden transition phase, I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into What I really wanted to be!
These days I'm so less interested in pretending to be a lot of other people, and much more interested in being me.
There is something liberating about not pretending. Dare to embarrass yourself . RISK IT !
Modesty is also an art of enchanting your charm by pretending not to be aware of it !
Have you ever pretended ?? Tell me about it !
Yes, I have pretended to be very strong, when in reality I was totally broken, from within!
ReplyDeletesometime pretense serve as a shield :)
ReplyDeleteAll of us pretend at some point or the other..if there is anyone who says, I never pretend; that means they are hypocrites and are lying. It is always good to be what you are. However, sometimes pretending helps. It works. When you are scared and you put a mask of braveness, it helps. Helps you to sail in this world. Then you are out of the danger, you realise you didn't have to be scared. In interviews, you pretend. Though I don't know anything, one needs to say you can do everything. If you say you don't know, no one is going to give you a job :)
ReplyDeleteso many times I have pretended to be ok and smiling when I wanted someone to see through that fake smile!
ReplyDeleteYeah, everybody does it some or the other time.. I mean in today's times, people get sadist pleasure out of others problems. Why give them such pleasure. Better to pretend that things dont matter.
ReplyDelete"Dare to embarrass yourself. Risk it!"
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree with you more, Ananya. Sometimes we're just too afraid to try...
:)
Hmm... yup! even though I try pretending and make people believe the same. I always am what I am - be it sad or happy , painful or at peace ... my heart steps out first wanting to speak always first thereby masking my mind.
ReplyDeleteBut many times I have felt why can't I pretend but sadly I cannot even though I try
That is the good thing about getting older you really don't feel like you have to pretend you are who you are...
ReplyDeleteEveryone does that at one point or the other Ananya. Sometimes situations, sometimes fear, sometimes just for the sake of it, there is no one who hasn't done it..
ReplyDeleteAt some point it gets too tiring, totally exhausing to keep pretending, and then the real acceptance begins. A thoughtful post today, Ananya. Nice one!
ReplyDeleteBeauty Interprets, Expresses, Manifests the Eternal
Pretending is a heavy load to bear. Nicely penned post.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have pretended to be pretty happy, strong when I was shattered and to be social though I find it very difficult to have a simple conversation with not just strangers but even the ones whom I have known from a long time.
ReplyDeletethats a very strong expression! i thing every one pretends at some stage of their life, either to feel good or to hide behind a mask. one line that really caught my eyes was this - dare to embarrass yourself! beautiful
ReplyDeleteYes- Not pretending all the time releases you but when needed it is ok to pretend
ReplyDeleteYes,even I pretend to be always busy though I am lonely & bored.
ReplyDeleteI don't think everyone in the world deserves to know the real us. The ones who are closest to us already know when we pretend. The rest don't matter. Still it is surprising that so many fail to understand that we are all indeed wearing a mask most of the times. I have written the exact same thing but in a poetry form. Do read:
ReplyDeletehttp://shimmeringsunshine.blogspot.com/2014/04/p-is-for-please-hear-what-im-not-saying.html
Yes, I too am guilty when it comes to this subject. But aren't we all? My biggest pretence is saying I forgot to do something when in fact I was too preoccupied to remember. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z'ing. :)
I have pretended to be talkative which I am not at all... I have pretended to be affected by being alone which I'm not ......These come to my mind now
ReplyDeleteP for Petrified-Random Thoughts Naba
We do pretend more often than we care to admit.
ReplyDeleteI hate pretense. It takes a lot of guts to be your real self and very few people have that!
ReplyDeleteMy younger sister suffers from this problem a lot.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet and connect through the atozchallenge. http://aimingforapublishingdeal.blogspot.co.uk
Absolutely I have and I guess we all have, at least in our teens! Now, I don't give a damn about what others think!
ReplyDeleteOf Course I have pretended to be happy on many occasions when from inside I am breaking down
ReplyDeletehttp://ashalifeishope.blogspot.in/2014/04/proud-be-proud-of-self.html#comment-form
i do not think you pretended, you wished to come out of a negative situation by thinking about positive. You were unhappy, so you tried to become happy, you prayed to the power of happiness to drive out the evil. Ananya nobody but the part of the Almighty remaining with you as soul has advised so. I think hypocrite people pretend so as to cheat other. I never pretend, I call a spade a spade without hurting anyone. Like you i try to become happy when I am unhappy, I see it as the only wish of god who did it for my benefit. Later happenings proved that. The difference between you and me is I also walk in the same path as you walk but after reading books of Swami Vivekanada and Rishi Aurobindo. Have you done like that or you have followed the inner instruction of your soul?
ReplyDeleteI think honestly I didnt like the display of fake sympathy so I pretended and also I was constantly trying to enforce a positive feeling inside me that everthings fine and perfectly normal. It worked !
DeleteYes Sir, I have read few Swami VIvekanada's books just out of interest, not seeking any help. But mostly I took strength from people I observed daily.
Ananya, most of us pretend about one thing or the other, some much more, some less and then comes a point, same as with you when we realize that there is no need. and then we r Free. Good post.
ReplyDeleteThats so true Sunila !
DeleteIve been through this Ananya, I pretend to be strong, un-attached, liberated as a person and it prevented me being myself. Today, I am happy to be myself and it matters the most.
ReplyDeleteCheerz for this super honest post:)
Cheerz Vishal!
DeleteGreat topic! I see you have lots of conversations happening over here!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard not to pretend sometimes. Sometimes it feels like facebook, blogging, twitter, instagram and all the rest of it are more ways for us to pretend and share that with anyone who will click and visit our pages. I don't want people to necessarily see the "real me" because that person is not all that likeable. However I still do my best to walk the fine light that is pretending and being honest about who I am and where I struggle in life - as well as sharing the joys on the journey.
http://5heartsonefamily.blogspot.com/
Yes we do show our exterior image on social media, a more likable form of us and then we do choose the special one's with whom we don't pretend at all !
DeleteI think we all pretend at times. But it's important to be authentic.
ReplyDeleteThats true Laurel !
DeleteYes, I have pretended many times, sometimes for the sake of society, sometimes for the sake of a loved one.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post yet again. This is one thing I can't do... Pretend. Which lands me in hot soup because if am angry it shows on my face. If I don't like someone...it shows in my voice. I am atleast happy that I am true to myself. :)
ReplyDeleteAt times it does help (in pretending) and at other times it boomerangs very badly.
ReplyDeleteBut like you said, its better to be yourself and that takes away a lot of burden from the shoulder.
I spent many years pretending everything was o k -- so it was a real surprise to a lot of my friends and family when my memoir was published last year. Many of them cried and were upset with me that I pretended all those years and didn't ask for help or support. But, we do what we think we need to do at the time, right?
ReplyDeleteCarol @ Battered Hope
I still pretend that everything is okay, even when it is not :(
ReplyDelete~S(t)ri
Participant|AtoZ Challenge 2014
Smile, it makes (y)our day!
Pretending is not OK. However, Indian society cannot accept frankness. Hence, most of us pretend most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI believe that pretending in small matters is OK.
However, in important matters, one should not pretend. This is easier said than done, especially in Indian society.
Depends on some matters, for me. I might not always pretend everything is fine, but sometime I do have to. Just a choice, no compulsions !
ReplyDeletei liked it ... in fact i pretended so much that i forgot who am I ?
ReplyDeletegood to read
Pretending never leads to anywhere though sometimes we just have to...nicely penned.. :-)
ReplyDeleteI never pretended to myself, but to others? Yes, always......
ReplyDeleteI don't think if I have pretended much. Maybe just once or twice, like in some parties or get together I pretend to be enjoying it when I actually do not... I mean just regarding these petty things.
ReplyDeleteOh the many faces we wear each day.....yes, we all pretend.....to maintain an illusion, to create an impression, to define ourselves in the ways we deem will be more acceptable to the people around us.....not pretending is a daring act.....well brought out points ananya.....
ReplyDelete