Hiding

Growing up, I have been taught through personal experiences and lectures that it is best to keep my talents or special characteristics hidden. I have lost competitions against others because I showed them all of my skills before the match so they knew what to expect. I have embarrassed myself showing how good I am at something and then proceed to fail miserably. So seeing that showing my abilities does not help me reach the desirable results I began to conceal them. As I read through that passage about Hide and Seek, I felt connected to that kid how hid too well for others to find. During my development as a person, I learned what characteristics are undesirable and some talents are better off hidden. I began to conceal more and more of myself by using tricks to direct conversations in a different direction or circling around a direct question with an indirect answer. I hid myself too well. By my junior year in High school, I finally realized that even though I have so many characteristics, traits and talents,  to others I am a blank piece of paper. Nothing unique, nothing interesting. I had given up or missed on so many opportunities to promote myself because as I grow older no one will "seek" me for my hidden talents, and instead, I needed to let the world know who I am. 

Similarly in the book Middlesex, the main character, Cal, also hides a secret from the world. But instead of hiding a talent, he hides his gender. He was literally born with "middle sex". He possessed the XY chromosomes of a male while also having a vagina. As "she" grew up, she hid the male side of her identity because she thought it was abnormal. However, because of her hiding her identity, she also separated herself from others so no one would come to "seek" her. As she read through the dictionary for her condition, she read that her condition is the same as being a monster. She hid that disorder so well that even her parents did not notice anything. By doing this, even though she spares the alienation she might feel at public spaces, she also pushed away any helping hands.

What I have concluded from my experience and Cal's experience is that it is so important to share a person's strengths and weaknesses. However, instead of revealing them in a way that makes us seem vulnerable or arrogant, we should only show parts of that talent or characteristic so that people know what we are capable of. Thankfully for me, I changed my mindset before the more important years of my life began when opportunities will not just come knocking on my door.