I watched Jim & Andy last night and had no idea of the ride I was about to take. Jim Carrey came to prominence while I was in high school. I think I first saw him in Ace Ventura, though many people knew him from In Living Color. Husband and I loved The Truman Show and felt that it had illuminated an important Truth about the nature of reality.
He talked about actualizing his dreams - something he was extraordinarily successful at accomplishing. He discussed how he positively affirmed his intentions and goals without being caught up with the "how." He put himself in a state of receptivity to his audience - "what do they want?" he asked himself over and over. In doing this and he stumbled on an astute sociological observation - that consumers of entertainment want to be free of their concerns. He would be the character with no concerns - it worked and he launched his career.
Watching him now and hearing what he has to say it seems that the entire arc of a human existential crisis has been documented in his life. His experience serves as a thought experiment for the rest of us, who, unlike Carrey, have crafted much more enduring identities and have not tried on as many. His experience shows us the fragile nature of identity - who are you? Why are you here? What is your purpose in life?
During this season of expectations and pressure it is an excellent reminder that our social realities are created, they are not static. What "is" can be undone or changed. We don't have to be everything to everybody - we can chose to be true to ourselves. We don't have to put on the masks, we can free ourselves from the pressures and explore our own being.
No comments:
Post a Comment