Tully Considers Hidden Depths

There's this thing called hidden depths. TV Tropes has an article on it. Here's a pothole.

Seriously, though, who really believes that things are as they seem to be at first? I know at least three people like that. My mother's one. It gets pretty hilarious. But seriously now.

This trope exists because it's true. Things are never as they seem, nor can we really apprehend the truth about something with simple observation. In fact, as it is been repeatedly hammered into my head these past couple of months, the truth about something can never be known, at least in its entirety. What we can have are approximations to the truth. And that's where we have this trope.

See, we can't really act like ourselves in society without getting shunned. It doesn't matter how many after-school specials or educational programs you've watched. Hell, I'm a brony and I'm telling you this outright: with rare exceptions, acting like you are, deep down (in other words, revealing your hidden depths), will get you bad results.

Society demands a template, a template you must adhere to if you want to get anything done. Just as you cannot go around questioning everything and using the scientific method, you cannot go around acting like you want to act. Even if what you want to do isn't illegal, it'll still be something other people don't like, and if other people don't like it, well then, you're screwed. It's Outcast Land for you, buddy.

Welcome. It's been lonely.

So, we adapt. We take in what others want us to be and we don a mask. For some it's easier than other. Others still will actually become the mask (which is a trope in of itself). But deep down, most of us have depths we don't want to reveal, be that because we're shy, be that because we're afraid of rejection or be that because we're just plain lazy.

But, right there, is where we have friends. People who take a good long look at you, see where your depths are and nod. And you nod after doing the same. That's what a friend is, really. Someone who will look at your hidden depths and accept them. Because that's what a friend does.

See you next time. Thank you for tuning in.