A Carnival of Masks Parading as Familiar Faces
Val enjoys writing prose in rhymes by always leaving a message of a life truism in each piece.
Introduction
Despite all apparent evidence of a much less than perfect model of human coexistence, we are actually doing pretty well -- considering our enormous differences.
For the love of a herd mentality, or to say it nicely -- a collective consciousness -- we have been making an enormous effort to bridge those differences by establishing a pretty well scripted cultural paradigm. What we couldn't remove was this reduced, not to say phony, sense of self which we are selling to others as our personality.
But, we can't really help there, because we are in truth strangers to ourselves, while that censor in our mental structure holds back all unwanted unconscious material that might bother our precious vulnerable ego.
So, how can we be true to others if we are not even true to ourselves. Sages and scholars of every epoch keep asking "Who are we really? -- but we just the same keep interacting as if we are some open books.
In truth, we are all selectively revealing our genuine humanness to each other, and that's why I am calling it a "carnival", a masked global feature of coexistence.
Is it something "bad"? No, it's only all that we've got going on, because there is no a known "good" that it could be compared with. So, here I go with these three pieces of my prose in rhymes that depict the theme of it.
The city is full of people that you just see around.
-- Steve Maraboli
All Just Some Familiar Strangers
Nobody know mw better than I
and I'm still discovering who I am
no matter how hard anyone may try
it would be like extracting fruit from jam.
People are strangers much more than they know
disclosing selectively how much they choose
so it's all nothing but a spectacular show
either upsetting or meant to amuse.
Actors also audience at same time
laboring hard to meet at half way
all confessions not worth a dime
enigmas no matter what we say.
Language we use doesn't make us closer
for there are lies we collectively cherish
and trying to read others' mind -- no sir
good for us, or else we might perish.
So here I am, a stranger to me
and more of it to you as well
it's the only truth I can see
others, reluctant to tell.
Honest differences are often sign of progress.
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Bridging Our Different Worlds
We try to bridge our worlds to call them one
and love may allow us to clumsily succeed
but, even though those bridges may be fun
they don't present one world that we need.
Even god didn't get to be one for us all
as we chose to have our different fathers
each one with his own distinct and holy call
making of us neighbors -- more than brothers.
Here and there our bridges crumble and fall
their structure somehow not meant to endure
under weight of something looking like a wall
erected on our bridges when love turns impure.
Or we make some dams slowing down flow of river
with their silly purpose of connecting both sides
denying differences with passion of a beaver
using others' minds instead of inner guides.
Why not allow all unique selves to be
instead of playing role models to follow
for our life is best when it's flowing free
and we play it best when we play it solo.

Is It Our Job to Care? Something Appropriate to Do? Does Caring Make Us Feel Good? -- Or, Is it a Genuine Act of Empathy?
Before you call yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, or any other theology, learn to be human first.
-- Shannon L. Adler
Do We Genuinely Care?
At the very bottom truth hidden in our heart
we don't fear events but how we may react
then we play empathetic or we play smart
but it seems like irrefutable human fact.
We wouldn't help blind man across busy street
if that "caring" act didn't give us a certain joy
even without trying to pretend or cheat
no matter how this truth may annoy.
When we lose a person close and dear
we don't really think of their cruel fate
but there is something like a secret fear
that we'll go as well on uncertain date.
We express concerns over our beloved nation
all noble as it sounds, what else could it mean
oftentimes it's nothing but our procrastination
to address our own life and keep our act clean.
It might take an effort in our heart
to separate wheat from all that's chaff
otherwise we'll never be able to tell apart
what's genuine care and what's worth a laugh.
Video of an honest example of perfect strangers opening up to each other
© 2020 Val Karas