Props

I have a picture in my head: I imagine material things like props, and people as naked manikins- help up, supported, self-portrayed, and defined by these, our props. This picture is maybe a bit absurd and could apply only to myself, but just go with the analogy for a minute...

A slip of fabric, a dress. Adorns a body. A piece of metal and screws, a watch. Hangs on a wrist. Leather strips and buckles, sandals. Wrap around bare feet.

Props.

Do we allow such empty, material pieces of the world to define and confine us? I'm afraid I often do. I self-create. In an attempt to cover my nakedness, I seek out and wrap myself up in the props I believe best "fit" me. I have created an idea of myself-the me I want to be-and I support this notion, carry it out, define it, in large part, by the things, the props I pursue. And I would purport--we all do this, in some form or fashion.

But, what if our "props" were taken away? What if we were stripped of everything, material and otherwise, that we believed made us who we are?

Would our naked, manikin selves be recognizable or distinguishable from the rest? It begs the basic, yet difficult question: what makes us who we are? And are we willing to try and separate ourselves enough from the props we pursue to figure out and discern this bare truth?

Exposing inquiries.

Nakedness can be uncomfortable; yet, it's also extremely freeing. However, it requires the willingness to endure the uncomfortable stripping process, and a desire to pursue this level of self-discovery.

So, it begs the question: do we desire it?