Acting

“It’s strange these days, acting seems real, and real seems like acting.” I was startled by the casual statement, even though it was loud enough for only a few people with good hearing, at a charity gift-giving ceremony of a “favorite” business in a poor district.

The chairman of the board of directors of company X tearfully brought colorful books, cute bicycles and the sweet words of advice, "You guys try your best." The thunderous applause, the MC's heavenly praises, the hesitant tears in the hearts of the parents' representatives... were all captured by the sharp television lens through the most expensive angles.

I turned through the crowd choked with emotion to find the man who had just made the "party-breaking" remark. After a few more stories, he openly said: "Acting, acting, acting, acting deeply! The debt is deep, the workers don't even have social insurance. Setting up a program to accompany the poor". "Really acting?" - I asked again. "Acting, only those who fell from the sky like you would naively believe it is real". The "party-breaking" man seemed to be venting all his anger on a stranger. I asked more: "Knowing it is acting, why do people still accept it, still give "commemorative medals", still tearfully write heartfelt lines on the traditional golden book?". "Acting, still acting, acting as if it is real. Some act to maximize their image, others act to maximize material benefits". The man turned up the volume and walked away towards the innocent children eating free charity candy under the banyan tree. I left the “makeshift stage” with a bunch of questions in my head. Why did he say I was naive, not knowing what was real and what was acting? And what if that “troublemaker” was also acting?

Do you remember a few years ago, NC commune, ND district suddenly became famous because of the movement to summon the souls of the dead to... ask questions. Thousands of martyrs' families from all over the country flocked to the "spiritual area". Incense smoke billowed. The writer of this article was lucky to directly meet a "ghost" who came to point at the grave. The "ghost" talked about the battles, the fierceness and the letters buried in the fire and smoke, where the grave is now, how it was forgotten... something like that. Relatives believed it wholeheartedly and prayed like a sacrifice. However, when a person claiming to be an old friend of the "ghost" enthusiastically asked: "Nam, it's me, do you recognize anyone?", the "ghost" shook his head. The other person continued to ask: "We studied together for 10 years, slept together, herded buffalo together, but you don't recognize me?". Hearing that, the "ghost" immediately said goodbye and... flew back to the "old battlefield" to be in time for... the battle! Everyone was stunned, and blamed the guy named Nam for asking such a difficult question! How strange, he was able to fool thousands of people with such a crude performance.

If the story I told still makes you doubtful, please go to Youtube and type the word “spirit possession” and watch people… perform. A “psychic” with a master’s degree who was famous for her talent of meeting with the dead like a neighborhood meeting suddenly disappeared after a series of “remains” she brought back had no DNA matches, and worse, among them were cow bones! People cursed that whoever took cow bones was taking bones… of the same species. Yet not long before, she was still acting back and forth, fooling that research institute or something. How sad, how disappointing for the era of lies that tacitly occupy the space of reality, and the barbarians profiting from the ignorance and naivety of good people.

The word “acting” when combined can have many meanings: acting, forum, speaker, speech, acting, interpretation, development… However, when standing alone, it seems to be understood in its most common sense - acting… plays! There are plays that become classics, carrying profound educational messages, touching people’s hearts. There are actors who dedicate their whole lives to art. For them, acting is work, they are like silkworms pulling out each thread to contribute to weaving life. However, that is acting on stage, is artistic work. In the scope of this article, the author only discusses the problem of “acting” in real life. It seems that “acting” is increasingly “filled” with new versions. More professional, more sophisticated and to be honest, there are also more brazen acting troupes. Beating his wife until her leg is crippled is hidden, then posting online “cuts” of the scene of feeding her porridge. Horrible!

In addition to individual roles, there are also group plays. Recently, the press discovered a competition for excellent teachers. To win the prize, the teacher forced all the average students to skip school. The good students were chosen to become her "co-actors". The lesson was rehearsed like a play, when the jury arrived, the teacher and students just had to act well and it was done. What about the jury members? Don't they know what the teachers are doing? Yes, they know everything because they were also good teachers before and of course they also competed! Why don't you say anything? It's simple, they are also acting, how do they act properly as a... judge! Public servants act before voters. Leaders act before employees, and employees respond by acting more deeply before the leaders. Each person creates for himself a mask of being gentle, intelligent, generous, considerate, kind, etc. Once he puts on the mask, he has to act. Everyone tries to create a smooth image in the eyes of the other person that is far from what he is inside. And just like that, a false performing environment is promoted and praised.

To perform also requires “expertise”, if you are not careful, the show will be ruined. Wasn’t it just a few years ago that a company gave away “instant milk” to students, called “instant milk” because the students had to “drink it quickly, drink it strongly, drink it steadily” within two days, otherwise by the third day it would be “expired”! The press searched for it, social networks criticized it. People boycotted it for almost a year. It is true, buying a reputation for thirty thousand and selling it for thirty cents.

After being exposed, many people were shocked to learn that “Vu Nhom” was an intelligence officer playing the role of a business director. Oh no, to be exact, a business director playing the role of… an intelligence officer! It must be said that such a long and blatant performance had fooled everyone. Not long ago, a leader, before going to court, was still famous for his close-to-the-people style. He enthusiastically walked, he was proactive in dismissing subordinates, he enthusiastically wore two layers of gloves to collect duckweed for cleaning. He was harsh in scolding his subordinates for daring to harass the people… His image was all over the newspapers. He emerged as a phenomenon, a model of a cadre who could do what he said, dare to say, dare to do, dare to take responsibility. His statements, similar to those of a rhetorical nature, became the headlines of countless articles. Then he fell into trouble, he got into trouble with the law. Some felt sorry for him, some sympathized with him, and some bitterly said that he was good at “acting”. And then there were the generals, who had also “played their roles” well in the past. Only when “the comrades were exposed” did people go back to the flow of their personal work to dissect and analyze. Only when they analyzed and linked enough behaviors, did people realize with shock that they were acting. There was a couple who had conflicts 12 times a day, called each other “you and I”, and called each other sons of bitches and animals, yet when they visited their parents’ house, they called each other “dad, dad, mam” (mother and father), making the whole family happy. Only the father-in-law whispered to his daughter: “Your brother and sister have just performed a perfect play.”

So, anyone can act and anyone can become an “audience”, even an involuntary “extra”. Life is not so naked and harsh that we have to bare all our thoughts for others to examine, but life would be hell if lies prevailed. Only when we are true to those around us can we be true to ourselves. Sorry, if we try not to become a puppet, we should also try not to act ourselves.