Behind the Faade

Faade is one of the words in the Dictionary that its pronunciation is completely different from the spelling. The first time I came across the word, the pronunciation I assigned to it makes me laugh till date. What I called it reminds me of how one of my former colleagues pronounced cell. As matchless as the word faade is to its meaning, so also are the actions behind it. Ordinarily, faade means the face, front, or outside of a building especially an imposing or decorative one. But implicatively, it means a superficial appearance or illusion. Most often, we, as humans see only from the surface levels; we tend to get so much attracted to things that appear conspicuous without realising that most actions that control our world are behind the faade.

A couple of years ago, I went to a supermarket with my family to do some shopping. As my wife was busy picking the items, I stood in front of the shop with my little daughter who was then, 2 years old. As we stood, one middle aged man of Eastern European origin walked up to us and started playing with my daughter. As someone who likes children, I do appreciate it when I meet people who do likewise. I began feeling uncomfortable when the play wouldnt end. When the drama ended, he demanded for some change from me. I said to myself, Aha, I now understand the reason for this elongated and prolonged one man drama.

Talking about drama reminds me the first day I took my mum to go visit then, my parent in-laws to be. It was like mama didnt at first like the idea that her son made a choice that was across an ethnic boundary. So, that day, mama acted a drama. Mama was walking at snails speed; when I reduced my speed in order for mama to catch up, mama further reduced her speed in order not to catch up. I was unusually patient with her because I understood the reason behind the show. On our way home, mama suddenly regained her strength. I was smiling in a corner of my

mind, and equally angry in the opposite corner; mixed feeling, you would say. My thought was, whether you like it or not, were all going to have a new wife in the family. Today, mama and wife are good friends in all honesty.

In all actions, motives are buried in the remote areas of the bedrock of decisions. To get to these remote areas, we require the skills of remote sensing. Maybe, learning the geology of life assists in discovering and photographing the unreachable parts of a mans anatomy. In these remote anatomies of man are the motives of man. Motives are the concentrates behind the faade. One of my dictionaries says motive is incentive. I laughed when I read it because it nipped my illustration on the bud. Motive defines a persons reason behind an action; it determines the goals or objectives of a persons action. Good or bad, outcomes are products of motives.

The danger with faade is that it most often hides motives. Faade protects and shields motives until pressure squeezes a persons true intention out of his hidden fruit. Many times, I have met people who are unusually nice to the extent that if I have to make a quick decision of who the best man or woman on earth is, without doubt, I will pick them. Inasmuch as we dont get into the building to see what is within, these people appear excellent. But the day the winters and storms of life decide to chase us into their secret apartments, their true motives or incentives, will be exposed.

As I learn from lifes reality assessments, I am beginning to rise up and wise up. These days, I give everyone I meet 50% pass mark in terms of character and intentions until I get into the building. The building Im referring to is the heart of man. I have come to understand that in life, everyone has a price. The day you dont pay what they think you owe them is the same day you see what is inside them. In the building of man are hailstones ready to be cast on those who refuse to bow to the shrine in the temple of man. Each man is a temple and each temple has a shrine. When people call you bad, that bad should be properly defined so that everyone can ascertain if you are truly bad or bad by selfish definitions. We need to appreciate the truth that some peoples definitions of bad are metamorphosis of their self centred imaginations. We must

take into cognisance what is behind the faade before making a conclusion on who a person is. The motives of man define him; the motives of man typify his true attitude. The motives of man also determine his definition of other peoples actions and reactions. It is wrong to judge a person by his outward appearance, although sometimes, the outward may suggest to a minimal extent who a person may be. To know an individual, look beyond the faade. Looking beyond the faade may take a while before seeing a persons true identity, but its still better to wait than waste. Never make a conclusion when you havent entered the building. Dont make a decision with the faade, look beyond the faade!