Justas Simniškis. Public figures and their truths: don’t worry, everything will be explained to you | Culture

Once upon a time, it all started quite naively, with a few Facebook posts I read. At first it was just ordinary curiosity, a non-committal encouragement, mixed with wonder that one might express one’s thoughts in this way. I thought this was a one-time thing. You will not return to this person’s posts once more, just this one time, well, maybe you will read another post in a week, or maybe in a couple of days, to make sure that you will never read him once more…

Now he accompanies you everywhere. You can’t do without it. Wake up with him in the morning. You drive to work reading it. Every free moment you check to see if he has written anything new.

When you meet your friends and colleagues in the real world, you talk regarding him once more. They nod their heads because they read all his posts too. You will all feel a warm sense of community, as if you were from the same parish. Safe, among themselves.

But something strange happens when you meet people from the opposing side who do not agree with your public figure in essence, do not consider him an authority, deny the truth in his words. At first you feel a slight shock, which turns into absolute bewilderment: how can the earth support such people?

Of course, you quickly back away, you remember that your man warned you that there will be those who will not agree with you, and gave you arguments in defense. You use them for defense and attack, but they quickly wear out. The enemy is trying to catch you, teaching you sharp allegories and crooked parallels. Like a wooden stick through the surface of a caramel latte foam, what were the most beautiful patterns.

When you meet your friends and colleagues in the real world, you talk regarding him once more. They nod their heads because they read all his posts too.

But the enemy does not understand anything, he does not know your public person as you know him. How can he explain that when your public persona shared a sensitive and honest post regarding his depression, suicidal thoughts and the need to remove the social stigma of psychological problems a few months ago, he was serious, and when a few weeks ago he rebelled in the comments and wrote “who doesn’t like it, pashol nx , go get some slerna” was he just kidding?

It’s getting uncomfortable inside. Feeling more and more disgusted with the opponent and even more angry with the public persona he promotes. Of course, following your quarrel, no one proved anything to anyone. Both remain convinced that the other side is hopeless and there is nothing to talk to. Frustrated, you go back to social media and read your public persona’s posts. How he smoothly and convincingly ridicules and destroys the implicit arguments of his opponents. It is easier for you, life is brighter, the nausea of ​​the unpleasant confrontation is gradually washed away.

But why did you have to be overcome with nausea and that unpleasant feeling of disembowelment as if someone had beaten your self with a food processor? Unexpectedly, the universe itself gave me an answer.

I received an invitation to the FC Baseball concert. Lulled by smoothed-out pocket rock under the most hypnotic stage lighting, I was suddenly awakened by the words “too much love for me”.

My first thought was, is FC Baseball just trying to counter Andrias Mamontov “because I can never have too much love”? The young male trying to dominate the old man by directly challenging his words?

We have fallen too hopelessly, adolescently in love with our public figures.

And suddenly it dawned on me. There is no friction here with A. Mamontov. Maestro Baseball testifies to the absolute truth of our times, and we listen but don’t hear him: we’ve fallen too hopelessly, adolescently in love with our public figures.

Like Juliet to her Romeo. She also keeps telling the whole world regarding him: how cool he is, how best he is. Without even waiting for an opportunity, she will tell everyone in turn his thoughts and experiences.

No matter how carefully and matter-of-factly her friends tell her that, for the third time in a row, her Romeo either borrows discount coupons or forgets his wallet and wipes his snot on the tablecloth for the third time in a row, Juliet doesn’t care. At best, she will simply deny their accusations. They will say that they do not understand his difficult financial situation at the moment. In the worst case, she will counterattack hysterically, convinced that her friends have paid and want to single them out.

When she is alone with Romeo, she will comfort him that her friends do not believe in their love, and he will gently reassure her, saying that they are fools and do not understand the connection they have.

This is more or less what any public discussion looks like, it has basically become its own prop, hiding the fact that there has been no discussion for a long time.

This is more or less what any public discussion looks like, it has basically become its own prop, hiding the fact that there has been no discussion for a long time. There are only flocks of lovers screaming declarations of love to their man and curses to those who do not understand the reason for their love. There is no room for nuance or objectivity.

Love and the desire it creates to belong to your Romeo is a warm feeling. It means security and provides a kind of peace. But what if you start longing for nuance? Would you like to get sober, get rid of your Romeo? The first step would be to try to put it aside. Although for a short time, for half a day or, if you are so strong, for the whole day.

It will be extremely difficult. He will almost physically shake, as he wants to see his written word shining on the screen once more. But you have to be strong and fight. When something happens, don’t rush to read how he or she feels regarding the situation. Try to think for yourself, what do you think: good or bad and is it significant at all. Read his post only following some time, maybe you will start to see that the worldview that you thought was yours was just a finger of admiration, a feeling of falling in love.

Learn something new, find a hobby, be it knitting or pickling cucumbers. Realize that you can exist without your Romeo, because you are a much more complex being than just the feeling you have for him (or maybe you did, depending on where you are in the healing process). All the best to you, my dear friend, because you are amazing. Try it and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Maybe one day when social media buckets will pass, you can go to your favorite an influencer look at one of the former and wonder – “what did you see in him back then”.