Exposing Our Imperfections

They were there the whole time. We'd know if we chose to look for them.

Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse, 1903 (Wikipedia - public domain)

“Nobody ever discovered ugliness through photographs.” — Susan Sontag, 1973

In the age of the ubiquitous selfie, we fix our gazes on tiny screens filled with our own images. But how many of us are reflecting on ourselves rather than solely on our reflections?

Like water skiers, we skim along the surface, staying afloat for as long as we keep moving swiftly.  With enough practice, we can weave in and out of the wake, launch ourselves off of ramps, and even learn to slalom or barefoot ski.

But the moment the boat slows and the line slackens, we find ourselves sinking into the water.

As we flit from site to site and find ourselves mesmerized by the infinite scroll, digital life has given us the ability to avoid confronting the realities of our lives: we fail to address our inadequacies; we ignore our deepest fears.

This is simply human nature.

“Life is the art of being well deceived.” — William Hazlitt, 1817

We …