Let's Play Pretend
Video Premiere: Be a Skywalker + C.S. Lewis, George Washington and Seneca
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about imposter syndrome and when exactly I’m going to feel like the person I one day wish to be. There’s a future me out there who I believe is more disciplined, entrepreneurial, creative, brave, and patient. When will that person arrive? There’s a lot to be said on this subject, one I refer to as self-actualization, but in the interest of it being a Sunday I’m going to keep it short and share two insights with you. One from C.S. Lewis and another from George Washington biographer, Richard Brookhiser.
What you’re about to read is part of the inspiration behind today’s new video on Rey “Skywalker”, which is premiering right now on YouTube.
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis lays out the practical path to being a Christian. Contrary to what many in the world teach, Lewis offers a poetic case for what you might recognize as “fake it to make it”. At some point we have to decide: I Am An Artist, I Am An Author, I Am A Christian, I Am A Soldier. Declaring it so might be your best hope of realizing it in the real world.
“When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were. Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already” - C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis, ever the fan of imaginative play and make-believe, suggests that to be more Christ-like, a Believer’s best hope is to roleplay. Your heart may never be fully transformed in this life, but you’re better served by pretending that it is. Do this every single day in every walk of life you see as important. Fatherhood. Motherhood. Marriage. Career. Creativity. Spirituality.
“Now, the moment you realize ‘Here I am, dressing up as Christ,’ it is extremely likely that you will see at once some way in which at that very moment the pretense could be made less of a pretense and more of a reality.” - C.S. Lewis
In George Washington On Leadership, Richard Brookhiser tells of how Washington would inspire his troops throughout his military career. Washington’s letters and accounts of Washington at war show that the famed general and Father of America often referred to his colleagues as “My Brave Fellows” when addressing them. “My Brave Fellows, I ask you to reenlist. My Brave Fellows, fight!
“Maybe they will go home or run away, and not be brave at all. But Washington gets them to be brave by telling them they are.”
Imagine if you went through life like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, both being told you’re a coward and telling it to yourself every day. Then one day someone comes along and tells you that you can be brave and even that perhaps you are already brave.
Anyone who has raised kids knows this kind of rhetorical nudge matters a heck of a lot in helping kids realize their potential.
Start being the person you want to be — today. Tell yourself you are that person. You might find that by saying it, you hold yourself closer to the standards of that elusive Future You.
Thanks for reading Geeky Stoics! I forgot about Spring Forward and the time change, so it turns out I am late to church and have to run out the door. What fun!
Don’t forget to check out our new video on Rey “Skywalker” and becoming the person you want to be. And take advantage of our special March offer for a paid subscription to Geeky Stoics.