LIVE - by Samuel Ibok

When I speak of pain, it's because I've felt it.When I speak of fear, it's because I've known it.When I speak of freedom, it's because I've had it.When I speak of trauma, it's because I relive it.When I speak of greatness, it's because I've dreamt of it.When I speak of ART, it's because I AM IT.I had quite an interesting conversation with someone which gave me clarity on how we perceive people. Humans are masters of disguise, and we mostly see only what they show us. You'll be making a mistake concluding that you've figured someone out. Even the patterns we are certain of might have been revealed to give us a misleading impression.My friend, who I thought was balling and having a great time, was actually losing his composure. He was holding on to a thread of faith. Don't take everything you see on social media to heart. People we consider to be the life of the party can commit suicide after the party. You can live in the same house with someone and still be miles away in terms of true connection. We've worn masks for so long that they have become our identity. Sadly, we no longer know ourselves.Today, sharing our stories and pitfalls is extremely difficult because we've been hurt by the very people we're most vulnerable to. To avoid more pain, we shut the world out and battle our demons ourselves. In other cases, we convince ourselves that other people have their own problems and we shouldn't add ours to theirs. How long can we continue like this, fighting battles a conversation with the right person can solve? It's even worse for the boy child and men generally. This is because we've somehow learned that validation stems only from being a provider. So, at our weakest, we are unable to share. Our value is not solely dependent on the material things we provide. You are first a human being, and you are more than what you provide. Living is sharing, so by all means, share your problems. I understand that sometimes a problem shared may be a problem worsened.Ask for help. Again, ask for help. Not everyone is against you. Can we start letting people see who we truly are? Stop smiling when you're bitter and sad. Don't sell a lie. Let's be true to ourselves and stop hiding our pain. This reminds me of Dead Ben, who was always there for everyone but was really never seen by anyone. Maybe we should have a #truthchallenge or #howareyouchallenge.I know it's hard sometimes because we don't want to be perceived as weak people, but who cares anyway. Please, let it all out. Try to let people in. The person who jumps off a bridge must have drowned mentally. A smiling face is the new face of depression.You deserve to LIVE LIFE ALIVE.PS: Dead Ben is a series you should read here on Two Cents. You can find it amongst my insights.Cheers!

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