I was just watching a youtube on Jungian personas and masks. The problem, Jung said, is that people put on masks to gain love and acceptance but hide their true authentic selves. Over time, they forget who they really are and become their mask.
The video was about how to remove the mask and discover your true self, but all I kept thinking was “love and acceptance? just for putting on a mask? how can I learn this skill?”
People will put mask on to gain love and acceptance.
This is true…
But its not really love and acceptance if you have to pretend to be a different person, its simply the illusion of it.
You ask, how you can learn this skill and the answer is to keep lying to yourself that it’s working till you believe it.
My advice would be to stay true to yourself, your own wants, needs, morals. (What do you think and belief inside and not what opinion some internet video fed you cause thats an easy mistake )
When you find love and acceptance, which you, like everyone, deserve and require. You will know it is sincere.
The first person to love and accept you for who you are (if not your parents) can be yourself.
Follow up: can you be loved and accepted without being understood?
sometimes, yes.
Yes and it is what is what sometimes is called “unconditional love”
Loving someone regardless of understanding is one of the strongest display of acceptance that can be demonstrated.
Its hard to find though, but once you do find good empathic people with an open mind you will know the difference and be capable of letting go of the people who are making you feel like you do.
Hm. I honestly don’t want love unless it comes with understanding. How could you love something if you don’t even know what it is?
If you are able i recommend getting a dog to get an example of honest love without need to understand.
The same example can be seen with kids. (Normal) Parents love their child regardless of whether it’s old enough to be understood.
Children themselves can just like dogs show tremendous honest love for people things they have no capacity to understand.
What makes unconditional love so special is precisely that it is unconditional. Requiring “something” in order to show love is not love but a social business transaction.