A Facebook friend of mine posted this video today, and I wanted to share it here. I don’t really have any opinion of Jim Carrey as a person because, well, I don’t know him as a person. But this seemed like a really genuine look at him, and in light of all the crazy stuff about Charlie Sheen lately (that I’m actively ignoring), I found this refreshing.
What really hit me was when the interviewer said to Carrey that he thought that he was a little conflicted. But then he clarified and said that he felt that Carrey had a lot of emotions, and close to the surface. Carrey responded that he’s decided to “be there. I only act in the movies.”
I realized how often I act, and I’m not in the movies. Even still, I see myself as keeping my emotions and my genuineness pretty much at the surface. And yet, I’m aware that I’m not wholly myself to everyone at every time of the day — even to me.
Like flailing around a money-filled wallet in a shady part of the city, I fear that if I share or show too much, I may be seen for what I am — imperfect, beautiful, messy, holy, irreverent, sensual, techie, too proper, too unfiltered… inconsistent.
I’m reminded though of how complex people are. I’m just as centered as I am spacey and staggeringly unfocused. But, people around me would say that I always seem to keep it together. I’m unshakable ground. Maybe that’s partly due to feeling like I had to be the one to “keep it together” in my family, on top of my interest and focus on my spiritual well-being, and fearless plunges into opportunities for self-growth and inquiry.
Spirituality, self-inquiry, meditation — all that — it has become pretty mainstream and popular now, thanks to Oprah and many visible authors and speakers who’ve gone through a spiritual awakening. But still, like Carrey said in this short clip, if you talk about spirituality, people think you’re a little nuts. I mean, look at how Tom Cruise is perceived. So you’re either a trend follower or you’re a wack-job if you talk about spirituality. It’s a sensitive subject. Vulnerable, fragile. Real.
Then I know there are others who think that “spirituality” is a convenient way to reject dogma and religion all together. It’s not about that though. I believe that there is a spiritual “element” in each one of us, and it’s beyond what savior or guru you pray to. Mind, body, spirit. Spirituality is inside of us, not outside. And if I want to exercise my spiritual self, there are many ways I do it — it may be volunteer work, yoga, looking up at the stars, chanting, hugging a loved one, or yep even church. It’s “all of it” for me.
It may seem a little conflicting. But it’s me. Or just a little piece of me that happens to be poking its head up out of a foggy, beautiful place.