really?

so it occurred to me today as i was standing in front of my 10 a.m. pronunciation class that i could basically tell them anything i wanted to about myself and they would have no way of knowing whether i was telling the truth or not. for example, i could tell them my actual age or i could tell them i am a young-looking 54. i could tell them my actual full-time profession or i could tell them i am a deep sea marine biologist. i could tell them my actual hobbies or i could tell them i enjoyed parasailing, base jumping and model airplanes. i could tell them my actual background or i could tell them i am the offspring of recently-deposed eastern european royalty. you get the picture.

the point is that when one is standing in front of a roomful of strangers (or in my case, a roomful of spaniards and brazilians, with a couple of russians and a colombian thrown in for good measure), one is free to invent any life story that one wishes.

but of course, such thoughts now make me wonder whether others in the past have presented fictional accounts of themselves to me on the occasion of our first encounters.

that said, to my mind the issue is not really one of presenting an honest picture of oneself. no, for me, the debate centres on the universal desire to be accepted by others. how so? well, let me use the example of one of my pals who left home many moons ago to begin his first year of university in a neighbouring province. now just before he left for school, i remember him telling me how he longed to move away from his hometown so that he could begin anew in a fresh environment. how come? well, he sought out this fresh environment where nobody knew of his past so that he could finally be himself and escape the pressure to conform to the persona which others had created for him.

at the same time, when i am standing in front of a roomful of international students who know neither hide nor hair of me, i am free to reveal my true character without fear of being judged by those who come to the table with preconceived notions of me.

or i could tell them that i am the offspring of recently-deposed eastern european royalty.

"free to be... you and me." - marlo thomas (1974) ... and you can youtube it if you like

from the greatest "kids playing mobsters" film of all time:



p.s. i pretty much do that anyway, except for the 'getting paid' part