Performing Humanity in Silence

And finally, they secretly feel different, like they're performing humanity.

You blend in so well that people assume you belong everywhere. You know how to

smile at the right time, you know how to make eye contact without giving too

much away, you know how to ask the kind of questions that make people feel seen,

and how to nod in a way that makes them feel safe. You know how to be present without

being exposed. But inside, there's a distance. Not arrogance, not coldness.

A quiet separation, like you're standing half a step outside your own life, watching yourself

move through conversations the way an actor moves through a scene. You laugh when it's