When I met him

HIM: Life is a stage. You are given a role to perform. Always remember that. 

Me: I know. That’s why I want to give my best performance. I delve into the character that I play so intensely that my performance seems natural. I get engrossed so much in the roles I play, that I forget till the play is over that this is just an act. I laugh, grow and cry from the bottom of my heart. I love and hate people putting all my emotions into the story. I do this so that my work is appreciated, and I get better and better roles for my next plays. 

HIM: Of course. You will be rewarded. You will get the highest award for acting. If you have chosen to act the roles of being a hero, newer opportunities to act as greater heroes will come to you. If you are good at being a villain, your next roles will be worse villains. Either way, you would have done justice to your job. But who will you be when the play ends? 

Me: I will be waiting for another play, another role. I will live the life of a bigger hero in the next play. 

HIM: When you are so deeply engrossed in the play, do you always want the play to continue? How do you feel when you are celebrated as a hero in the play?

Me: Elated. I never want the play to end. My heart yearns for more and more of such opportunities. I enjoy being loved by everyone, celebrated as a hero. 

HIM: What about the times when you have to face struggles in the play? What about the time when you get old and frail in the play? Do you want to live those moments too every time?

Me: No. Those are the scenes which I hate playing on stage. I keep hoping that such scenes don’t come up in my subsequent stories.

HIM: But that is impossible. A hero has meaning only in the face of an anti-hero. Celebrations have meaning only when you have gone through struggles. 

Me: True. But there can’t be a story which shows only happiness. I must act both the opposite emotions, may be in varying proportions. 

HIM: Haven’t you ever felt that the story should have been different?

Me: Of course I feel that many times. But I am not the screenplay writer or the director. It is their job. I only act what is given to me.

HIM: So, you are at the mercy of the Director, for your roles?

Me: He gives the roles to me because I am worth them. I am not at his mercy. I have earned my roles. 

HIM: That’s just your version of the truth. If the Director comes to know of your attitude, he might create a better actor and give him your roles. 

Me: What do I do then?

HIM: Nothing. Just remember that you are playing a role. But that’s not who you are. In a play, you can’t go on enjoying luxury rides and remain happy forever. The story must continue. You will face difficulties; you will get old. The play will end. Your co-stars change with every play. You don’t have complete choice to select your roles. You can however decide on how much you want to be involved in the role that you are playing. You put in efforts; you do your job. But always remember that this play will end, and another will follow. 

Me: What must I do to realize who I am? What if I don’t want to act anymore?

HIM: You remain detached from your characters. You always remain aware that you are different from the role you are playing.  When the intensity of your involvement reduces, when you remain conscious of the presence of the Director, then you might one day be freed from the job of being an actor. The Director might wholeheartedly employ you to remain with him and be content always without having to go through the emotional rollercoaster. There won’t be celebrations, there won’t be struggles either.

(To understand this, it's mandatory to believe in re-births. Each play is one birth; the next is another and so on...)