Hermann Hesse phrased it like this, “Nothing in the world is more distasteful to a man than to take the path that leads to himself.” It is on the journey towards finding one’s self that we must invert our eyes, and allow ourselves to see what it is we have been masking. Our mere apparitions of self must be confronted with reality. Idealism meets realism. We must face who we really are. Facades are much easier to maintain….they require no vulnerability, honesty, or original thought. To live as our “projected self,” allows us to blend…to fade into our surroundings as a chameleon; taking on the thoughts, habits, and attitudes that serve us best from moment to moment. I think Hesse understood that no man wants to truly see themselves for what they truly are….To do so would require a level of self-evaluation and change that most people aren’t comfortable with. I feel most of the time we become so used to living as our projected self, that we actually lose who we really are….So afraid that people would turn us away if they really knew….if they actually knew who we really were….We can’t allow ourselves to hide. We must be who we were created and meant to be. We must take the journey down the road that leads to ourselves, despite the hardships and brutal realities about our true self we will face. Throw down the facade. Be who you really are.