The firstman who, havingenclosed a piece of land, thought of saying ‘This is mine’ and foundpeople simple enough tobelieve him, was the true founder ofcivil society. How manycrimes,wars,murders; how muchmisery andhorror the human race would have been spared if someone had pulled up the stakes and filled in the ditch and cried out to hisfellow men: ‘Beware oflistening to this impostor. You arelost if youforget that thefruits of theearth belong to everyone and the earth itself belongs to no one!”
To some extent, of course, we are all impostors. Weplay roles on the stage oflife, presenting apublic self that differs from the privateself we share with intimates and morphing both selves as circumstances demand. Displaying a facade is part and parcel of thehuman condition. Indeed, one reason the feeling of being an impostor is so widespread is thatsociety places enormous pressure onpeople to stifle their real selves.
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