the fear of being seen
on patience, perfectionism, and the masks we build with technology
there were loads of topics swirling in my mindspace. yet none had the gravity to fall from thought down onto the keyboard. to turn dancing ideas into a swirl of letters, words, sentences. ok yes, this will have meaning.
what feels most true to write about right now is patience. honoring one’s natural rhythm... honoring my natural rhythm.
the world is getting faster. exponentially, some may say, depending on their vector of focus. what continues to speed up and up and up. there is a release from that speed. the mind can only cognitively hold so much before it breaks. before it realizes new capacities need to be formed to meet this moment fully.
I read an article earlier today about how everything is starting to look manufactured. the instagram aesthetic. the AI-fication of everything. the perfection of everything. the subconcsious pull of, I belong, right?
what I see in that is the pendulum. it swings in one direction and eventually comes back to center.
it’s like how more and more phone-free spaces, phone-free experiences are arising. collectively, we experience parts as exiles. the young, wounded places we’ve pushed away. we swing to the extremes before the lesson is learned.
I know this pattern. as someone who has struggled with perfectionism for years, and has witnessed my own evolution allow it to be released, I see that deep desire for perfection permeating culture so deeply now. what’s running it is a core belief about love. to be loved. a deep-rooted fear of: I am not enough. so I need to mask.
the ROI of AI is time. the ROI of AI is productivity. the use cases are endless. many use cases are well worthy. yet, many individuals don’t have the awareness that when they use these tools, they are actually exacerbating their parts. the exiled part that is simply afraid of being seen. over and over again, it says it’s using AI to save time. to increase revenue. to xyz. when in fact, the actual pit of truth is the fear of being seen. covered by technology to mask that fear.
and so here I am. writing this slowly. one word at a time. letting it be imperfect. letting it be seen. and that is enough.
Emergence with Rachel Weissman is a weekly exploration of the interconnections between consciousness, technology, and planetary flourishing.
If you find this writing valuable, leave a heart ❤️, share it with a friend, and consider subscribing if you haven’t already.