COMPOSITE

Who am I? That's probably one of the most puzzling questions I would not be able to answer in a snap. Watching the ever-popular reality television shows had made me realize that the tactic - "I'm just gonna be real/be myself." may perhaps be the most overused line petty contestants utter before (and in some cases, even after) their fantastic journey begins. They say if you'll stay real and be true to yourself it will make you win a million bucks (or whatever prize is at stake) - It's because people like seeing "real" people, especially us Filipinos who are fond of watching what we call the "totoong tao". But my question is, how real can one be? In a room where you know you are surrounded by numbers of video cameras, how can you assure that you are 100% real. When you know you are being watched by hundreds or thousands of people, could you be brave enough to act without any pretention? And what is the term real even to begin with? This admiration and liking for the real originated because of the emergence of its binary opposite - the plastics: pretentious people who could be like angels in a moment's time then after a flash transform into Satan's loyalists: backstabbing, no good trashbags. I dare ask, dear avid viewer, how sure are you that your favorite "real" person isn't one of the plastics behind the camera or after the show's duration? How sure are you that a plastic is not just making a ploy as an attempt to win you over? Later on after reading the paper or hearing the latest buzz, you'll go on to realize that your hero was a phony. Well, isn't that tragic?

To be oneself is one of the most arduous tasks that one can demand from a person at all times. No matter what you say, you'll always have to wear those colorful masks depending on the company you are with; for sometimes, when you become too real, people don't accept you. It is because of judgment that causes people to wear masks and stay unreal. But sometimes, earing these masks isn't all that bad for you get to become another person, you get to explore and discover new depths that you sometimes never thought of being. When you think of it, sometimes this pretentious act can even help you enrich your personality. I am not saying this act should always be tolerable. I am just pointing out that sometimes it's healthy, even for something as unreal as this. So keep on wearing those masks, for they will help you to be real. And if you go deranged, you can always take them off. Just remember to remember who you really are.

PS:
If you think this was meant to be serious all throughout then now you know that it ain't. I just wanted to see if my brain cells are still intact. However, setting the seriousness aside, I'm not quite sure if I made any sense. Mask! Give me a mask! And now I'm mocking myself, what a pity!