The Great Masquerade - Stand for America?
Gregg Zegarelli Esq.
Managing Shareholder at Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC
During this Halloween Season, we masquerade.?So, there is no better time to talk about the greatest of all masqueraders.
But, who is it, this greatest of masqueraders?
Why, it is The Truth, of course.
If you should ask how The Truth can be a masquerader, then The Truth has you fooled, as he did me.?The Truth fooled me for many years, and maybe almost all of my life, as time will tell.
Now, let me tell you why, and it will make sense to you, if you can be open-minded enough to allow it:
The Truth is a jokester, or a liar.?For, each time, he comes to me in the exact appearance of my desire.?I later discover that he wore a mask.?The Truth laughs at me, and I am his fool.
But now that I understand the rules of his game, I am the better at his challenge.
Such as it is with a game of champions, the harder I play, the harder he plays—step for step.?The more effort I expend to remove his mask, the more tightly he holds it.?And then, for each layer of mask I remove, feeling accomplished and tired, I again discover that there is, even yet, another layer.?
And, The Truth laughs at me.?And I am his fool.?Again. But, game on, Truth.?I contend.
Let me give you an example.?This morning I looked in the mirror.?I thought, "Well, I suppose I'm in okay shape...for a 50 year old."
Now, let me tell you the truth: if I were 25 and woke up from a long dream and looked at myself in the mirror as I look today, I would scream.
Well, you say, "but, you are a 50 year old."?Aha!?I thought that as well.?The Truth got me.?But, as much as it hurt, I caught him.?(That is The Truth's weapon, you know, it is easy to just concede for the mask, and to be The Truth's fool.?And, better yet, it is comfortable.?All we need to do is to deafen our ears so that we do not hear him laugh at us.)
But, back at you, Truth: I know that the reality is that, when I was 25, I suffered through not eating fattening foods, not eating late at night, measuring my cereal portions in the morning, jogging and exercising regularly.?I did what it took.?I worked at it.
I endured the pain that produced the pleasure.
Let us play on.?With some harder thinking—a confession of sorts—I then said to myself, "Well, maybe I am out of shape, but I don't have time anymore for that effort, because, as a responsible adult, I prioritize on earning a living to provide for my family."
Well, at least now I am in the game.?Do you see why?
My first way of thinking denied the reality by creating a relative standard that allowed my reality to fit nicely into it.?"For a 50 year old, I'm in okay shape."?Wow, for a time, I felt very good about myself.?Nice.
With my second way of thinking, I accepted the harsh reality, but I excused it with a comfortable rationalization.?"Okay, so I'm out of shape, but that's life."?At least, by accepting the reality, I stepped up the game.
But, sorry, Truth, I do not just intend to play this game, I intend to win. Truth, I will have you. So, I think some more:
"Yes, yes, yes, I admit it, I confess: I look terrible!"?Pure and simple.?Oh, that hurts!
And, yes, now I've got The Truth pinned.?He's down.
But, do not let me fool you.?The game is not over.?In fact, the game is just beginning. The Truth is downright nasty.
Now that I've finally admitted to myself that I'm looking pretty bad, do you know what The Truth does to me??He puts a TV commercial in front of me that tells me that getting into shape will be easy.?Better, The Truth tells me that it will be inexpensive and fun. It must be true. Everyone in the commercial is happy. Forget that they are selling something for their own advantage.?Seeing is believing.
So, what does any of this have to do with America?
If we do not know, The Truth gladly tells us.?Do we hear him??The United States is the greatest nation from the beginning of time, greater than Greece and Rome.?Greece and Rome fell, but they were not proud, such as we Americans are proud.?Sustaining greatness will be painless and easy, and maybe even fun, for us Americans.?American Pride will carry us through everything, even if Aesop and Proverbs say it comes before a fall.
But, Truth, we hear you laughing at us.?We are not your fools. So, Truth, we stand and we contend.?We will have you, Truth.?We read your books.?Flattery will get you nowhere.
We know that what makes America great is traditional humble discipline and work.?We do what it takes.?We endure the pain that produces the pleasure.?It worked before.
In this nation of freedom, nothing is free.?When we want to improve our condition in life, the truth is pure and simple: Our work is what works.?It is neither easy nor fun.
We Americans know the truth: Greatness is for those disciplined few who apply the rules and continue to work for it.
The joke is on you, Truth.?
Trick or treat.
The Truth is a jokester, or a liar.?For, each time, he comes to me in the exact appearance of my desire.?I later discover that he wore a mask. The Truth laughs at me, and I am his fool.
("Veritas scurra est, aut mendax. Nam semper ad me venit in specie desiderii mei. Postea hominem larvatum deprehendo.") [Auth. Note. This is best that I have done or will ever do.
* Gregg Zegarelli , Esq., earned both his Bachelor of Arts Degree and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His dual major areas of study were History from the College of Liberal Arts and Accounting from the Business School (qualified to sit for the CPA examination), with dual minors in Philosophy and Political Science. He has enjoyed Adjunct Professorships in the Duquesne University Graduate Leadership Master Degree Program (The Leader as Entrepreneur; Developing Leadership Character Through Adversity) and the University of Pittsburgh Law School (The Anatomy of a Deal). He is admitted to various courts throughout the United States of America.
Gregg Zegarelli , Esq.,?is Managing Shareholder of Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC .?Gregg is nationally rated as "superb" and has more than 35 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes, including startups,?INC. 500, and publicly traded companies.?He is author of One: The Unified Gospel of Jesus , and The Business of Aesop ? article series, and co-author with his father, Arnold Zegarelli , of The Essential Aesop: For Business, Managers, Writers and Professional Speakers . Gregg is a frequent lecturer, speaker and faculty for a variety of educational and other institutions.
Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn .
Copyright ? 2010 Gregg Zegarelli . Stand for America? is a series of publications written by Gregg Zegarelli intersecting philosophy and traditional American values published by Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group. Printed or reprinted with permission.
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