Sekala & Niskala

When you visit certain foreign places, you may notice and feel flattered by the smiles and kindness of the people with whom you interact. And if you observe more deeply when they interact with each other outside of tourist contexts, their manners and behaviors are fundamentally different.

There is a face we show externally, and a face we keep to our close circle and ourselves. And many other faces for different circumstances. Like the concepts of Sekala (one for the tourist gaze) and Niskala (one for the collective self) in Balinese culture. We play hide and seek with ourselves and each other.

There can be cynicism that all humans are fake, portraying themselves favorably depending on the situation, and one can never know the full truth behind the masks. There can be relief because one knows that humans adapt and morph into any circumstance, and they can change shape depending on the context. Both views coexist and exist because of each other.

It is useful and practical to know that human interactions are not to take too seriously. Everyone is making it up along the way, with layers of socialization applied to our behaviors. We can loosen the grip on life and relationships and inject more lightness and humor into how we live daily.