What no one tells you is the relief of allowing yourself to be imperfect. If someone puts you on a pedestal, get down. Every pedestal is a prison. Let people see the imperfect, the real, the flawed, the subtle, the strange, beautiful and magical person that you are. Allow them to be mistaken about you, to laugh behind your back. Allow them to judge, to whisper, to believe they know who you are. Allow them to look at you crookedly, to move away, to exclude you, to reject you, to cancel you. See that, yes, this ends in death. Death of this one who was a slave to others. And then live!! Live free and without fear. Because the other no longer has power over you. Care more about your conscience than your reputation because your conscience is who you are, and your reputation is what others think of you. You don't have to be perfect. Honor your humanity.