10/31/16 The
Choice of Costume
Are we subconsciously (or consciously) telegraphing anything about our self with our choice of Halloween costume? Surely we are trying to say something to the world. Of course, it could be something as benign as desiring to bring whimsy or causing a shock. But, I wonder if we could really be indicating more about how we see our own place in the world. Do I put on a Superman costume? Einstein? A zombie (probably holding an empty bag of coffee grounds)? A presidential candidate? Why did I choose these costumes? Are they really costumes or some sort of greater aspiration or revelation?
And, that’s
just thinking about Halloween. What about the rest of the time? Do we not “put
on” a certain persona for various social and professional situations? Do we code
switch to speak and act differently as we are interacting with our customers? This
is just a necessity in life- especially in our professional lives. Because, we
can’t act out at work on every intense feeling we are experiencing in our
personal lives and, vice versa, we can’t go home and yell at our loved ones
because of a crappy day at work, right? And yet, we also crave authenticity.
So, how do
we balance all this? The answer seems to be to put on our best selves all of
the time (easier said than done). But, “don’t let yourself be someone’s
everyone, and don’t let someone else be yours. There is no balance in that.” We
don’t put on our best self to please everyone else but to satisfy our own
spirit’s longing to be real with the world. Maybe, I should wear a superman
shirt under my work shirt everyday if I need to exude more courage? Writer Doug
Coupland wisely wrote, “If human beings had genuine courage, they’d wear their
costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween.” So, what’s your true
costume? What should you be wearing today? What should you wear every day?
