Hiding behind two faces

Our tendency to hide our true selves behind facades never fail to fascinate me.

I’m not talking about people with a natural tendency towards fraud when it comes to presenting themselves to the outside world – I’m talking about the average Joe such as you and I, dear reader.

Or someone like little Egg. She’s only seven, but she knows exactly how to behave to get the most from a situation. Exactly like a South African politician, although she does it for the love of deceit, not for money as those in parliament do.

“Be naughty,” I tell her every morning when I drop her off at school. “Then you can be wellbehaved at home.”

And every morning, without fail, this shocks her. “No!”

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“Come on now,” I tell her. “Nothing will happen. The headmaster will write me a letter, and I’ll throw it in the dustbin. And then we can all continue our happy lives with a sweet little angel at home.”

She never bites.

The lovely Snapdragon does the same thing. On the phone with other people, she’s the most pleasant, friendliest person under the sun. At home, she growls at us.

Not me. I’m a grumpy old man. I’m unfriendly no matter who I speak to.

Of course, it’s not always a bad thing to hide behind a shield of faked manners.

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“My poor dad,” Egg told her grandmother the other day. “He believes in Santa, yet somehow he has to pay for all the Christmas gifts. I can’t let him know Santa doesn’t exist. It’s probably the only little dream he has left.”

Bless her conniving little heart.

Over the next months, we will be on the receiving end of faked sincerity.

There’s an election next year and politicians will put their best foot forward. We’re in for a few months of pothole-fixing, baby-kissing and empty promises.

You can’t blame politicians for it – it’s the nature of the beast. Just enjoy every moment. We all know it’s just an act, but that’s no reason not to enjoy it.

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Just sit back, cherish the freak show in the knowledge that we, the little people, are the ones with the real power.

And after the elections, we won’t know about them for the next five years.

Which is not a bad thing. Because politicians are like thunderclouds – the sun shines brightly once they’re gone.