Performative Truth
Quite often the people that need help are so busy needing help that they can’t tell you they need it. It’s becoming common in our modern world for people to expect you to constantly live in your pain in order to validate its existence; in other words, you must act or behave like a victim for them to believe you. This way of thinking is synonymous with what I call “Performative Truth”. This concept has also become the lens through which we view authenticity and credibility. The pressure to either display your struggles or successes complicates the process of distinguishing genuine talent, wisdom, need, empathy, and leadership from their superficial and exaggerated manifestations within the “Performative Truth” concept.
This shit has major effects on mental health. Besides people feeling pressured to display their struggles or abilities constantly, it also impacts social dynamics because relationships and interactions become influenced by the need to perform, rather than being rooted in authenticity.
As I write this, I’m unsure of my destination, but it’s clear that this problem requires community thinking in order to find a resolution. Currently I feel compelled to share more of my random writings and reflections, because they often mirror the emotions and ideas present in my art. Everyone's truth varies and even though we dance with different ghosts, the presence of these ghosts in our lives is a shared reality.