Everyday Canvas

Feeling Like an Actor // Midwives

Prompt: Life on Stage and/or Midwives
"Most of my life I’ve felt I was dreaming. Now and then I wake up, sometimes for months, sometimes for minutes. I’m a character in a play, and I can’t tell if I’m making it up or if a great puppeteer is making me dance."
From the private diary of Patience Murphy, Midwife, Wild Rose Road, Liberty, West Virginia, U.S.A.
Do do you sometimes feel like Patience that you are only an actor in this life? And/or what do you think of midwives? Are they still relevant in our day in the 21st century?

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I was brought to life by a midwife while my grandfather, who was the doctor, waited in the next room, but that was decades ago. (I am not mentioning how many! ) As I grew up, I came to love her and even called her Aunt B., for she had become a very good friend of my mother and grandmother.

As such, midwives are still relevant today because some families believe in a holistic approach and personalized care throughout the childbirth journey. Plus, midwives--even though it is usually believed to be skilled in low-risk pregnancies and births--are mostly well-informed and they can empower women to actively participate in their care, and they also know when a patient should be in a hospital or a birth center. Plus, they can also aid with postpartum care, the newborn's health, and breastfeeding support.

As to feeling like one is merely an actor in the grand theater of life, it is not only for midwives or people in tight situations. I believe most humans might have experienced the being-an-actor-in-life sentiment at one point or another. This sentiment might be felt because of a sense of detachment and/or disconnection from one's own actions and feelings. It is usually safer to jump outside and watch than stay inside and feel.

As an auto-pilot reaction, this is a coping mechanism and it can surface when we feel we might be in danger in some way. It can also happen from our rejection of the societal expectations, which we are unable to resist, from our own personal insecurities, and from a feeling of being trapped and forced to perform according to a predetermined narrative.

This is because emotional distancing and creating a protective barrier between ourselves and the outside world as a detachment provides a sense of control and emotional insulation. Unfortunately, it can also hinder real connections and authentic experiences.

Unless one is a philosopher and is out to explore the ideas of reality and consciousness... Then, this feeling of being an actor can ignite a search for deeper meaning and authenticity, pushing people to question their motivations, desires, and the nature of their interactions with the world.

Yet, this is a rare idea. No one would want to do that just to help the study of philosophy (or even psychology). In fact, we all need to get over and fight the tight grip of scripted expectations and lead lives that are rich with purpose, authenticity, and genuine connections.



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