- Novice Monk: [Looking concerned, speaking softly] Master! Why do people always live feeling exhausted and weary??
- Master: Because they are forever pretending.
- Novice Monk: Pretending? Pretending to be what?
- Master: They pretend to be truly happy, to be strong and self-sufficient, to be invulnerable to harm, and thankful for their misfortunes. They stitch these illusions together, until, in the end, they deceive themselves into believing them without question.
- Novice Monk: So, they are pretending all the time? Even to themselves?
- Master: Yes. They create a mask—an image of themselves that they show to the world but inside, the weight of that mask grows heavier and heavier. They forget what it feels like to simply be, to live without the need to perform or to fit expectations.
- Master: Pretending drains us because it’s not real. It requires energy to keep up appearances, to act as though everything is perfect when it’s not. Over time, that energy becomes a burden, leaving our soul tired and weary.
- Novice Monk: So, how do we stop pretending? How do we live without that weight?
- Master: To stop pretending, we must first accept ourselves as we are. We don’t need to be perfect. We don’t need to appear strong all the time. We need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to express our true emotions, and to accept that it’s okay to not have everything figured out.
- Master: When we stop pretending, we free ourselves. It’s like taking off a heavy cloak that we’ve been carrying for far too long. In that freedom, we find peace—not the forced happiness of pretense, but the quiet joy of being authentic.
- Novice Monk: So, true peace comes from letting go of the masks we wear?
- Master: Exactly. When we drop the pretense, we stop exhausting ourselves. We return to our true nature, to the simplicity of just being, without trying to prove anything. That is where peace lives.
We, who live in constant struggle, often try to maintain an image of strength, happiness, and resilience, even in the face of life’s challenges and the overwhelming burdens we carry. Pretending becomes a defense mechanism. People mask their vulnerability by pretending to be happy or to be perfect. Over time, this act of pretending becomes so ingrained that they start to believe their own facade, convincing themselves they are invulnerable or grateful, even when their reality suggests otherwise.
It’s not just physical exhaustion—it’s a profound emotional fatigue. The constant act of self-deception drains both their energy and spirit. By stitching together these false beliefs, they create a patchwork identity that’s difficult to sustain, eventually leading to a loss of true self-awareness.
The ultimate consequence of this false reality is that individuals stop questioning their beliefs, accepting them as truths. This creates a cycle of inner conflict, a source of deep emotional exhaustion, as the dissonance between their real feelings and the personas they project widens.
We spend so much of our lives pretending—wearing masks to protect ourselves, to meet others’ expectations but true freedom and peace come when we let go of these illusions and accept ourselves, just as we are.
Have you ever felt this way?
I wish you peace.
