All of us have something in common. Regardless of our station in life, our personalities and all that has shaped our existence, a common denominator binds us together while simultaneously prying us apart. All of us are frightened to the point of paralysis of telling the truth. Not the truth of inconsequential external details (although some of us seem to have an issue with honesty in these trivialities as well) but the truth inside us. Who we really are. What we really think, feel, desire. What truly revolts us, and what draws us like moths to a flame. The true selves that we often only meet in the most awkward of circumstances, and who are otherwise imprisoned in stuffy facades we have skillfully created with the care of a caterpillar spinning a cocoon. A cocoon from which we will never emerge.

It is a sad truth that almost no one truly knows another human being, at least not to a substantial enough degree to say with any certainty what the other person is really thinking, or to what extent their words and actions are reflecting their true thoughts and feelings. Consider how many discussions have been allowed to escalate to arguments, then to violence, for lack of an honest communication of one's inner voice. It is a profoundly frightening thing to remove this facade, even to a limited degree, because its protective covering provides us a level of comfortable security in an insecure and unpredictable world that would seemingly pummel and destroy an unprotected individual in a few pitiful moments. The constant barrage of media messages preaches the importance of strength and power, the embarrassing failure of weakness and the all-consuming goal of being right. Therefore, we maintain and strengthen our facade at all times, adding a winning smile here, and a little white lie there, until we are satisfied by the internal mantra that keeps repeating, "Everything is going to be fine." And this is what makes it possible for us to pull ourselves out of bed in the morning, wiping away from our eyes the remnants of one of the few remaining outlets our true selves have, our dreams, and facing the world with some semblance of what we like to call "optimism" or "good humor". In reality, these feelings are merely signs of a more skillfully constructed facade, a more comfortable cocoon.

Very rarely, when another individual affects us in a profound enough way, whether romantically, through friendship or through deception, we will voluntarily crack our facade to allow a peek at our true selves. This constitutes the most overwhelmingly underrated event in human history. The moment when one person lowers their defenses and connects to another in complete honesty is the culmination of human interaction. This is a rare and precious moment that is all too often overlooked or taken for granted by the receiving party, leaving the individual who took the risk feeling naked and alone, completely determined never to take such a risk again. Merely a handful of such occasions will cement the cocoon permanently in place so escape becomes a voluntary impossibility. And thus the majority of us will live out our days among others but profoundly alone, sentenced to a lifetime of solitary confinement within the shell that smiles and nods and slowly dies in silent desperation.

So few of us understand that the only key to solving this puzzle is to throw away the very protection we so crave. We fail to realize that destroying our own suit of armor is the only means we have of avoiding the mortal blow. Logically, it is only the unarmed man who completely avoids the battlefield. The rest of us foolishly believe we can win.

The fact that it is possible to turn this tragedy around has been proven on occasion, and the annals of history have recorded numerous examples of incredible human beings who were able to break the cycle. The lives and deaths of such individuals have given us a glimpse of the grand potential every human being shares. Yet, instead of viewing these people as examples to be followed, we often idolize or deify them, almost as if their abilities were in some way supernatural, or at least superhuman. This belief allows us to excuse ourselves for not measuring up to their high standards. After all, we're only human.

Interestingly, it is only those who have a clearly defined purpose in their lives who are able to successfully surmount this invisible obstacle. Those who have discovered, through intuition, vigorous study or good old fashioned hard work, what they were meant to do or be in this world, and have strived to fulfill that purpose. Those who are able to look back on a life fully lived and garner pride and a sense of sincere accomplishment from all their efforts. Those who have left a legacy of growth on which other human beings can build. These rare and precious examples of humanity have provided the impetus of change on a global scale, have reached hearts and minds with a message of gleaming hope that stands in stark contrast to the darkness of the masses, have provided an answer to the seething skeptics who insist there is no power in the Divine. And they have done so by shedding their frail cocoons. They have used the energy gained from centuries of silent metamorphosis to display the brilliant colors the human experience has gifted us with, and to proudly show them off to the world. In so doing, they have brought an undeniable smile to the collective heart of mankind, showing all of us how beautiful life can be outside our facades.

So where do we take this nugget of truth? The realization that we have been living alone among billions of fellow humans is no small matter, and the solution is equally difficult to undertake. It can be done, nonetheless. The earnest search for our individual purpose in life should consume our thoughts until we successfully achieve that lofty goal. As we begin to conform our life course in line with the purpose we have discovered, we will feel the weight of our defenses slowly but surely crumbling around us. We will no longer shrink away from others, but will welcome them with the open arms of honesty, and when we are the recipients of a voluntary glimpse beneath someone's facade, we will not take it for granted. Rather, we will finally understand that we are receiving one of the greatest gifts another human being can provide, that of truth. The gift of honesty that so few are willing to give. A glimpse in to the only reality to which any of us can really aspire.

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