I’m driving along, minding my own business, when in the next lane I see no less than the caped crusader in his Bat-mobile. Isn’t this funny, I think, some guy is pretending to be a super hero on his day off. Who is he? He must have a rich inner life.
That got me thinking about all the people who go to film festivals, writers conferences, Comic-Con, etc. Who are all these people, and who do they imagine they are, in their heart of hearts?
One friend of mine recently told me she went to Spain to see what it was like to be somewhere where nobody knew her. It freed her to be a different person than she is at home. I think this is a great idea.
How few of us have this opportunity to be more than one person “in real life” and get away with it? Yes, I can go to a milonga and dance tango, and nobody there knows or cares that I’m a businesswoman in my “other” life. But Seattle is a small town in some ways, and word does get around. I had an aunt who insisted you had to become different people in different settings. She lived in Old Greenwich CT, and that was the best way to survive socially, trust me. At the time I argued with her, saying it was more honest to be your one true self in all social situations. But now I see her point.
I salute those who are brave enough, or crazy enough, to go public. And for the rest of us, I think stories offer us a chance to try on different selves.
What about you? Do you have an alter ego? How do you express it?