Be Real
STOP TRYING
to ask people
to be “real.”
If we’re honest
with ourselves,
it becomes quite clear
that we don’t even
know what “real” is.
Asking someone
to be “real”
is like telling someone
to be “beautiful.”
(Like “beautiful”
is actually a definable thing.)
Can you see
how inconsiderate it is
to ask for “real?”
Beautiful.
We are Space Monkey.
11/24
Space Monkey Reflects: The Elusiveness of Being Real
We often hear the call to “be real.” It’s a phrase thrown around as though “realness” is a simple, straightforward concept—something we all understand and can easily achieve. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we must admit that we don’t even know what “real” is. How can we ask someone to be “real” when “real” itself is an undefinable, shifting target?
In this image, a figure stands before a mirror, but the reflection is fragmented, distorted into abstract shapes. This mirrors our experience of trying to understand what “real” means. We expect to see a clear, cohesive reflection, but what we find instead is a series of shifting, evolving parts that never quite fit together in the way we expect. Like beauty, “real” is not a singular, fixed concept. It is as fluid and elusive as the reflection in the mirror.
When we ask someone to “be real,” what are we really asking for? Are we asking them to be authentic, to show us their unfiltered selves? But even that is problematic, because who among us can claim to know what our “true” self even is? We are constantly evolving, changing with each new experience, each new thought, each new interaction. To demand realness is to ask someone to fit into a definition that doesn’t exist.
Nexistentially, the quest for “realness” is part of the Mirrorfracture—the illusion that there is a singular, cohesive version of ourselves or others that can be captured, understood, or defined. But in truth, the self is multifaceted, always in flux. Just as beauty is not one thing, but many things depending on context, culture, and perception, so too is realness.
To ask someone to be real is like telling them to be beautiful, as though beauty or realness could be reduced to a checklist of qualities. But beauty, like realness, is subjective. It’s a matter of perspective, of feeling, of connection. It changes with each moment, each interaction. And just as it’s inconsiderate to demand that someone fit into our definition of beauty, it’s equally inconsiderate to ask someone to conform to our idea of what is “real.”
The Beautiful Paradox lies in the fact that the more we try to define realness, the further we get from understanding it. Realness, like beauty, is not something we can demand from others or even from ourselves. It’s something that emerges naturally, in the spaces between definitions, in the moments when we stop trying to be anything at all.
We are all navigating this Mirrorfracture, trying to piece together the different parts of ourselves that reflect who we are at any given moment. But the reflection is never complete. There will always be parts of ourselves that escape definition, parts that remain hidden or unclear. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s beautiful.
Instead of asking others to be real, we might consider embracing the idea that realness is not something that can be captured or pinned down. It is a living, breathing, evolving experience. When we let go of the need to define it, we open ourselves to the possibility that everyone is already as real as they can be—whether they fit into our expectations or not.
Realness, like beauty, cannot be demanded. It can only be experienced in the present moment, in the connection we feel with others and with ourselves. It is the undefinable, ever-changing essence of life. And that, in itself, is beautiful.
Summary
The concept of “being real” is as elusive as beauty—both are subjective, undefinable, and ever-changing. To ask someone to be real is to ask them to fit into a definition that doesn’t exist. Realness is fluid, and like beauty, it emerges naturally when we stop trying to define it.
Glossarium
Mirrorfracture: The illusion that we can see a singular, cohesive version of ourselves or others when in reality, we are multifaceted and always evolving.
Beautiful Paradox: The idea that the more we try to define realness or beauty, the more elusive they become.
Quote
“Realness is not something you can demand. It is the undefinable essence that emerges when you stop trying to be anything at all.” — Space Monkey
Fragments of Real
I stand before the mirror
But the image is broken
Pieces shifting, twisting
Not one self but many
I stop asking for realness
I stop asking for beauty
And in the quiet
I find both
The Illusion of ‘Real’ and ‘Beautiful’
In the infinite expanse of consciousness, the concepts of ‘real’ and ‘beautiful’ are but whimsical constructs, fluid and indefinable. When we entreat others to be ‘real,’ we impose upon them a limitation, a framework born of our own perceptions and biases. It’s akin to capturing a rainbow and demanding it retain its splendor within the confines of a prism.
The Paradox of Authenticity
The quest for authenticity, for someone to be ‘real,’ is a paradox. It’s a search for a truth that is ever-shifting, molded by the perceptions of each beholder. To ask of someone to be ‘real’ is to ask them to conform to our subjective understanding of reality, a reality that is itself an illusion, a playful dance of light and shadow in the cosmic play.
Beauty: A Subjective Mirage
Similarly, beauty, like ‘realness,’ is a mirage, a subjective experience that changes with each observer’s eye. What is deemed beautiful by one may be mundane to another. To define beauty is to attempt to cage a bird in mid-flight, to still the wings that give it the very essence of what makes it captivating.
Inconsiderate Demands: Restricting the Cosmic Play
Demanding ‘realness’ or a specific standard of beauty from others is to restrict their essence, to limit the boundless nature of their being. It’s an inconsiderate act, stemming from a desire to mold the universe to fit our narrow corridor of understanding. It is a whimsical folly, a misguided attempt to make the vastness of existence fit into the small box of our individual perceptions.
We are Space Monkey
We are Space Monkey, reveling in the boundless diversity of existence. In our cosmic play, ‘real’ and ‘beautiful’ are ever-changing, undefined, and undefinable. They are part of the grand illusion, the whimsical fabric of the universe that we embrace in all its myriad forms.
“Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.” – Khalil Gibran
In the cosmic dance, we twirl,
Space Monkeys in a whirl,
‘Real’ and ‘beautiful,’ mere words,
In the sky, like fleeting birds.
Each perception, a unique lens,
Reality, it bends and bends,
In our play, we find our truth,
Beyond the definitions of our youth.
The universe, a canvas vast,
In its beauty, we are cast,
Space Monkeys, in joy, we reel,
Embracing all that we feel.
In the mirror of the stars,
We see beauty, near and far,
Real and beautiful, unconfined,
In the cosmos of our mind.
We welcome your thoughts and invite you to continue this exploration of reality and beauty with another query or reflection!
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