By Burt “Time2Killit” Brage

I’ve always been drawn to psychology and philosophy, but not for the sake of academic debate. I don’t care for theories that stay trapped in textbooks. I wanted to understand people for who they really are, what they show, what they hide, what they carry, and what they bury.

The older I get, the more glaring the epidemic becomes: most people walk around as two different versions of themselves. There is the version the world is allowed to see, and the version they keep behind a locked door in the basement of their mind.

And I’ve never understood why we’re supposed to pretend that’s normal.

THE ANATOMY OF THE SPLIT

In every industry I’ve touched, from photography to fashion to music, I’ve watched the same exhausted pattern play out. In public, people are polished, controlled, and cautious. Every move is measured; every word is filtered through a sieve of social expectation. They are “on.”

Then, the moment the door closes or the camera turns off, the switch flips. The tone shifts. The energy drops. The real person finally exhales like they’ve been holding their breath for eight hours straight.

It makes me ask the same question every time, “Who told us we had to split ourselves in half just to survive?“

People call it “professionalism” or “social grace.” They say, “That’s just how the world works,” or “You have to act differently at work to get ahead.” In the psychology world, specifically within the neurodivergent community, we call this Masking. But regardless of the label, these phrases are just justifications for living behind a mask built out of fear.

THE HIDDEN COST OF THE MASK

The truth is simple… Living two lives might feel functional in the short term, but it is spiritually and mentally unsustainable.

Carrying two versions of yourself is like carrying two different sets of luggage everywhere you go. One bag gets heavier with the weight of the lies you tell to fit in; the other bag, the one holding your true self, gets neglected and dusty. The more you switch between them, the more the lines blur until you forget which version is the original.

This kind of life drains you quietly. It is a slow leak of the soul.

• It drains your energy trying to uphold a persona you don’t even believe in.
• It drains your confidence because you’re constantly editing your soul to fit the room.
• It drains your peace because you’re living in a constant state of “hyper-vigilance,” waiting for the mask to slip.
• It drains your identity until you become a silhouette of other people’s expectations.

THE POWER OF THE UNIFORM SELF

I’ve never been able to live like that. Call it my nature or my conviction, but what you see is what you get. The tone doesn’t change. The intention doesn’t change. My core doesn’t flip depending on the zip code or the tax bracket of the person I’m talking to.

I refuse to water myself down to make someone else’s “swallow” easier.

This isn’t about being loud or “rough around the edges.” It’s about the radical freedom that comes from being the same person everywhere you go. When your inside matches your outside, you walk lighter. You breathe better. There is no stage to maintain, no script to memorize, and most importantly, no fear of being “found out.”

THE CONS33TED MISSION

Most people don’t even realize they are allowed to be whole. They’ve been conditioned to believe the world only accepts the “safe,” edited version of them. They split into pieces; one part for public consumption, one part for private survival, and the real version gets lost in the shuffle.

That is the cost nobody talks about. And that is exactly why CONS33TED exists.

This publication wasn’t built to stay on the surface. We aren’t here to echo the “safe” takes of every other lifestyle platform. We are here to get into the marrow of the conversation; the things people feel in their chest but never say out loud.

This is why the written word is only one side of the coin. Our VLOGs and CONS33TED TV sit-downs are where the filter truly dies. In those unscripted moments, you see the micro-expressions, the tone, and the raw truth that a polished page can’t always capture.

THE LIVING PROOF

Look at our inaugural cover star, Mesu. He is the physical manifestation of this philosophy. He represents clarity, presence, and the courage to show up as the same man in every environment. No masks. No shifts. No “two-life” routine. Just one identity, fully lived.

CONS33TED is moving toward truth, not performance. Toward identity, not imitation. We are inviting you to drop the bags, unlock the door, and finally breathe.

This is only the beginning. Welcome to the era of the Whole Self.