I know that I have been extremely lax with my blog. I realize it's because I stop myself from writing the blog because I tell myself that, because I work in the theater, I'm not allowed to express opinions that don't relate directly to my work. I'm realizing that this is just a means too hold myself back. It's an old problem that can still affects me, unfortunately.
In reality, I believe that my work is wanting to know and understand human beings. It is my passion. I happen to express that passion working in the theater, writing, directing, teaching, even producing. I am fortunate to be my own boss. Whatever success or failure I have, I have no one else to blame or take the credit. I feel that I am free. It is what I love most about being American. I've traveled and worked in many countries, and deal with many people. I have never been anywhere that had as much freedom as Americans have.
In the times we are living in, which is changing our lives, we are seeing people's behavior when we are at our best and worst. It's hard to live through the pandemic we are in. To mask, or not to mask, don't get close, don't touch. We see people who ignore the reality completely, people who deny it's very existence. And, people who live in continuous fear and anxiety. It's very hard to stay rational, able to navigate our lives on a day to day basis. What should I believe? What should I do?
Freedom exists when people take responsibility for their actions. Freedom is not license to do whatever we want. Honestly, there are times I'm walking down the street somewhere and I see someone not wearing a mask. I want to say something. But, if they're not hurting anyone, if they're not close to anyone, what harm is it?
Some in Michigan planned to kidnap the Governor of the state because they don't like what she's doing. Is that freedom? Or license? How do you know what is real? People seem to believe what they want to believe, not based on much sense of what the reality is. How do you know what the truth, the clearest and most accurate perception of whatever reality you are focused on, is?
The only answer to that is because it's what you feel, what your senses perceive to be. It's not a great comfort because it's not a easy, mechanical reality to measure. History shows us that many great men and women who discover realities that the rest of us don't sense, are often ignored, sometimes murdered for perceiving a reality, a truth that most people don't see. And, that isn't in a book, or accepted officially.
This problem of perceiving what is true is the center of the world we are living in today. We are inundated with information, virtually. And, misinformation! To see clearly, one has to know that one is in contact with reality, which means with what we sense and feel, including contact with our emotions.
Of course, I think I can write about this because the need to be in contact, to sense and feel, perceive reality, is what I do for a living. The difference is that I have to create an imaginary world, based on the character and the life that surrounds that character. I have to read and understand the play, which will be greatly affected by what I know about life. I merge my life with the play. It is a fantastic life, honestly. I feel lucky.
But, applying that capacity to real life, as a doctor or a scientist, in the true sense of the word, does. And, nowadays, we see that even many of them are out of contact with reality.
So, we must know whether we can trust ourselves. And, that comes with experience. Experience that is based not on believing that whatever we think is true. But, on what we observe in Nature. Including human nature.
We are living in sick times. And, people are sick. They can't see what is real. The virus isn't simply the Covid 19 virus. It is the virus within us, that spreads. It is our fear and anxiety that leads people to want to be led, to be told what to do. We give our power away. Staying free doesn't mean that whatever I want to do is okay. I need to know what is real. This can only be done individually, through our desire to become the most human we can be. It is how I define greatness. Great human beings are more human than most of us. They see the world clearly. They do not get sick with the virus of fear and inability to trust their perceptions of reality.
Can you tell who sees more clearly?