Should We Don Our 'camo' All The Time?
The other day, I was in a store’s dressing room and overheard one woman jokingly saying to another, “It’s all about camouflage, isn’t it?” I laughed a little to myself, partially because it is a true but funny observation and partially because the statement is entirely too true. There is an element of camouflage in everything we do—not only aesthetically, but also in our interactions with other people. We maintain carefully controlled façades in order to conceal our flaws, physically or characteristically. It begs the question: is it acceptable to choose so meticulously how we present ourselves, or is it simply deception?
The Catechism initially confused me on this matter. Paragraph 2464 plainly observes, “The eighth commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others,” and 2468 specifies, “Truth as uprightness in human action and speech…consists in showing oneself truthful in words and in guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy.” However, paragraph 2469 seems to contradict those straightforward statements, reading, “Truthfulness keeps to the just mean between what ought to be expressed and what ought to be kept secret: it entails honesty and discretion.” The key word here is “discretion,” which is later clarified in paragraphs 2488-9 as the right to the communication of the truth. “No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it” with respect to issues such as privacy and safety. With this understanding of discretion, the answer is simple. We must forget about portraying our ideal selves and instead work toward achieving them.
There is no use in working to have the perfect superficial exterior. If we fixed our character flaws or accepted our insecurities rather than covering them up, we would be happier with ourselves and have a better relationship with God. When we pretend to be perfect people, we lie to everyone around us. Life in Christ is supposed to be exemplified by truthfulness and honesty, but every time we act as though we have everything figured out, we take another step away from those around us and an additional step away from God.
Everything we do in life should point to the truth, both with a lowercase “t” and an uppercase “T.” The Truth is, God is the creator of all things, and it is inexplicably difficult to imagine that he wants a personal relationship with each and every one of us—yet he does. The truth is, trying to conceal any aspect of the goodness God created is a sin. This includes changing our laughs or our hair or our attitudes to fit in with those around us; the camouflage may help us survive the present societal expectations, but those are temporal. God is eternal, and he wants us to be eternally accepting of his gifts to us.
