MASQUERADED IDENTITIES
You cannot wake a person who is pretending to be asleep- Navajo Proverb
There is so much sham in the
society. So alarming that it is no longer an individual crisis but a national disorder.
Everybody wants to be the other person.
Imitations are celebrated. Originality and ingeniousness are old fashioned. Truth
is considered bleak, distanced, cold and discouraging. We have become a society
that celebrates masquerading; everyone in his/her own concealment. There is not
an impostor without his/her mask. Such society and its individuals thrive in pretense, deception, charade, fraud, and con.
Symptoms of a self-deceived humanity
are; the triumph of lies to truth, evil to goodness, captivity to freedom, war
to peace, corruption to transparency, disordered appetite to reason. Our nation,
it seems, is an exemplar of such familiar culture where there is a colossal
debasement of truth, a battered situation for justice, a cheerful demonstration
of corruption and a shabbiness to growth and development. Perhaps, our nation
has lost its identity to self-deception, pride and fruitlessness. The conjured identity that Nigeria has as a
nation is that which speaks of it as the Giant of Africa. However, in the
menace of Nigeria’s economy, the pangs of insecurity and the fangs of
corruption, we are left with no choice than to relegate our gigantism, unless
we only speak of it as regards our prodigious population.
This national
loss of identity would not have been possible without the assemblage of
individual identities that are already entrenched in the self-deceived culture.
A culture that is inflated in delusions, fantasies, empty visions and over-bloated
opinions. Leonardo da Vinci once said it: the
greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions. What self-deception does is an erosion of the self
and the betrayal of one’s personality. No wonder, the Existentialist, Soren
Kierkegaard opines loudly that: the greatest
hazard of all, losing one’s self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it
were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss—an arm,
a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc.—is sure to be noticed. These urgent
reasons demand of us as individuals and as a society to awake from
self-deception and to rise to the realisation of self-knowledge which is the
only way to freedom and development.
PERSONAL IDENTITY AND SELF-DECEPTION
Self-deception is the root of all evil- Robert Heinlein
Personal Identity is that which is particular
about a person. It includes those qualities that distinguish one person from
another, and more importantly, it is the consciousness of one’s own being or
identity. Cam Caldwell
explains further that one’s identity defines how an individual affirms his/her
worth to others and to self. Hence, identity is at its core psycho-social, as an
expression of self, for, with, against, or despite; but certainly in response
to others.” Every individual is therefore unique. It is this uniqueness that
brings variety and flavour to life’s drama.
Self-deception on the other hand is the conscious act of lying to yourself or of
making yourself believe something that is not true. It is the act of deceiving
oneself as to one’s true feeling, motives, circumstances and other components
of life. As Mark Sultana notes that Self-deception is a symptom of a flawed
personal identity and inner division. In self-deception, one is actively,
purposefully and skilfully engaged in systematically keeping oneself from being
explicitly conscious of something. A nation can deceived itself by consciously
rejecting that which is truly needed for the growth of its citizens. Nigeria,
for instance, is consciously deceiving itself by thinking that our aged rulers
are the right people to dominate government offices leaving no room for the youths
to participate and bring in new realities to governing and economy. Nigeria has
deceived itself so long to think that crude oil will last forever, that is why
the nation may continue to suffer messy and chaotic economy.
SELF-DECEPTION: PROBING BENEATH THE SURFACE GRAMMAR
Self-deception is awfully disastrous
because it denies self-knowledge. Socrates had warned: Man know thyself! This injunction is the beginning and the most
important principle for survival and existence. Once an individual consciously
denies the truth about the self, then, that self is on its way to perdition. In
self-deception, what is attacked and condemned in futility is self-knowledge.
Self-knowledge is the understanding of one’s own nature, abilities and
limitations. It is an in-depth insight into oneself. Self-knowledge is the
answer to life’s fundamental questions.
The second notorious problem of
self-deception is that is not like the other kind of deception. Little wonder,
Plato exclaims that the worst of all deceptions is
self-deception. Self-deception is therefore the description of stupidity
which is defined as knowing the truth,
seeing the truth but still believing the lies. Aiden Wilson pictures the
terrifying content of self-deception in these words: of all forms of deception, self-deception is the most deadly and of all
deceived persons the self-deceived are the least likely to discover the fraud.
SELF-DECEPTION AND ITS EXCLUSIVE BLINDNESS
When I am in the box, I am self-deceived in the box, I do not see
clearly. I am blind to the truth about myself and others- Kate CEO
Self-deception is an enclosed box.
Once an individual is stuck within, he/she becomes totally blind. Blind to the
truth about reality. Blind to everything! Such blindness is self-inflicted,
exclusive and excruciating. An individual who enjoys deceiving himself/herself
is locked behind bars, helpless and weak. In such situation, the individual
remains in a state of perpetual infantilism, stagnation and unproductivity.
Even when he/she enjoys his fantasies and illusions, he/she is utterly
convinced that he/she is living a lie, hence, he/she heads for frustration.
Little wonder, Sam Erwin says: Self-deception
is the surest way to self-destruction.
Frustration necessarily sets in
because self-deception is against authenticity. Jean Paul Sartre gives an
abhorrent critique of self-deception when he points out systematically that self-deception is a direct denial of freedom
of consciousness. Self-deception is a prison and it operates within the
logic of the hide- and-seek mentality. Self-deception will make a man wastes part of his life in attempts to
display qualities which he does not possess, and to gain applause which he
cannot keep. For intellectuals, self-deception exists in the
menace of rationalization and so Karen Horney notes that rationalization
may be defined as self-deception by reasoning. Even religion reveals the spiritual bankruptcy of
self-deception. For according to Christian Scriver, it is self-love and its offspring self-deception which shut the gates
of heaven and lead men as if in a delicious dream to hell.
LIBERATING ONESELF FROM SELF-DECEPTION: A JOURNEY TOWARDS SELF-KNOWLEDGE
AND FREEDOM
Man know thyself- Socrates
The journey towards self-knowledge
begins with discovery. Discovery is achieved in reflection. Reflection is the
engagement of the mind on the realities around. How many engage their minds
critically before making life’s decisions. Descartes is a philosophical figure
for this sound fact. We know when we discover
ourselves. However, contrary to Descartes, subjectivism must be avoided,
for it is the cousin to
self-deception.
After the discovery of the self,
self-awareness takes over. Self-awareness is all about understanding different
facets of yourself- how you think, how you feel, how you react to situations,
how you trust your creativity and inner guidance. It all about raising your
consciousness and awareness so you can experience more of life.
After the assertion of awareness,
then comes compliance to what has been discovered. Compliance indicates that
the self is not a judge of what exists. The self must discover and understand
itself in the company of other selves as such the self is restraint from
subjectivism and self-deception. In complying with existence, the self must
always fight for the best and it is the human will that does this.
Arriving at self-knowledge leads to
the following:
·
Healing inner blocks so one can uncover his/her authentic self.
·
Effective decision making in life.
·
Creating an environment that better suits your needs.
·
Sustaining a positive change in your life.
·
Focusing your energy and time towards what you really do best.
·
Discovering your true and unlimited potentials.
·
Escaping frustration and depression.
·
Understanding yourself better and enjoying life.
DO NOT LIE TO YOURSELF!
Above all, do not lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and
listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth
within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others.
And having no respect he ceases to love- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
How is self-deception manifested? Self-deception
starts with self-betrayal. You betray yourself when you feel how you should act
and you choose to do differently, you then use self-deception to justify your
act, you then seldom end up blaming other in causing the situation to end up
the way it did. Many live pretentious lives, hiding behind others’ backs and
burying their faces in the ground. They are never responsible for anything,
they enjoying blaming others for everything, for the semi-religious ones, they
end up blaming God for the disaster of their lives. They have forgotten that
everything has been made for its own purpose, our task is to discover that
purpose and key into it. Joseph Butler, the
British philosopher and theologian, reminds
us that: things and actions are what they
are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be: why then should we
desire to be deceived. Therefore, be sure that whatever You
Are Is You! It is also important not to believe
everything you think. The human heart is devious. Theodore Sorensen avers
that: if we can tear the blindfold of
self-deceptions from our eyes and loosen the gaga of self-denial from our
voices we can restore our country to greatness. Once we let go of
self-deception, we own up to our true identities, we understand ourselves more
in the grab of our cultural and social values, we restrain foreign adulterous
cultures and ideologies, we remain true to ourselves, we grow. It is apt to
conclude with the words of James Baldwin: People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own
destruction.
