NOT JUST A POKER GAME

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Karenina Isabel Apilado Lampa
IV - Michael Farady


“I so love that shirt on you!”
When in reality, we want to burn the shirt and shred it to pieces, never to lay our eyes on it again.

Hypocrites. In my opinion, that is the best word to describe all of us who reside in our world. Can you honestly tell it to my face that you haven’t even lied or pretended for once in your life?

It has been a part of our human nature to be something we are not. It may not be at all times, but we know that every once in a while, we unwillingly transform ourselves into something different. Something new. Something NOT us.

There are times wherein we totally despise something, and yet when in the company of others, we surprisingly end up liking it. But have we ever asked ourselves why? Why do we do it?

For me, pretending has become a game that we have gotten so used to, that we can’t stop playing it. Why should we, when it makes things so much easier? When you don’t like her hair, you say it looks good on her. When you want to throw a fit because you’re hurt, you say you’re feeling perfect. When you feel like letting the tears fall down, you keep it in and plaster on a smile instead.

You hang out with someone, and when he turns around for a second, you’re so ready to stick a knife behind him. You laugh along with a ‘friend’, and then the next thing you know, you’re complaining to no end how annoying he really is.

By pretending, we are able to evade the drama that we just have enough of in life. No more friends surrounding you, comforting you in turns because your guy cheated on you. No more dealing with hysterical girls who can’t stop panicking because their clothes make them look fat. No more explaining how you feel, and then receiving pity afterwards. No more confrontations on what you think is not right about what he’s doing as a person. It makes things so much easier to deal with, right?

We’re all hypocrites. We’re all guilty of playing that famous game that we just can’t get enough of. Suddenly, life has turned into this big Poker game wherein you don’t know who’s who anymore. So when will it stop? Will there ever be a winner?

It might make dealing with life so much easier, but it’s becoming totally unhealthy for the relationships connecting us to other people. We should stop a while and ask ourselves, “Am I not yet tired of dealing the cards?”

Do we even know ourselves enough now? Do we know what really floats our boat and what we really hate, when we’ve grown so accustomed to pretending?

Life is not just a Poker game. In reality, we risk so much more when we sport the masks that we now usually wear. Sure, you lose precious chips when someone sees right through you, playing the famous game. But in life, you’re risking your whole self by pretending.

No matter how much we try to escape confrontations, it’s always bound to catch up with us. So why do we even try to run?

By pretending to be something we’re not, we’re molding ourselves into a new form that we’re not really able to fit into.
We should remember that with living who we really are, we could never go wrong. Who cares if you’re not able to mesh well together with someone? You’re bound to come across someone who thinks the same way you do.

That’s the way of life. Not everyone will like us, not everyone will hate us. Some may think you look stunning with your dress, some may say it makes your legs look fat. Others may think you’re doing great as a friend, others may think you’re lacking so much as a pal.

We cannot end up liking everyone, and everyone cannot end up liking us; we have to admit that fact. So why do we pretend so much?

Do yourselves a favor and lay your cards down now. And slowly, move away from the round table.