Art Vandelay: The Alias in All of Us

For those who never watched the sitcom Seinfeld a short explanation. George Costanza played by Jason Alexander was Jerry's sidekick. While Elaine and Kramer completed the foursome, only George's friendship with Jerry dated back to childhood. George was the most loathsome character on the show. Costanza was lazy, cynical, critical, penny-pinching, abrasive, selfish, opportunistic, and pretty much without a shred of dignity. And those were among his character assets. Little was beneath him, especially if it involved self-promotion or, personal gain. Without George there really would be no Jerry because while Kramer and Elaine often had bigger parts, it was Costanza who could always be counted on to do the wrong thing.

George was so lazy he had an alter ego known as Art Vandelay. George always wanted to be an architect. However, he never studied architecture or earned an architectural degree, so Art Vandelay became the architect George never could. Through Vandelay, George claimed to design buildings he had never even entered. If George needed a job reference he lied and gave Jerry's number as the number for Vandelay Industries. Vandelay was everything George was not. He was dependable, honest, hard working, courteous and even charming.

Imagine having an alias? Someone who could fill in the gaps of all our shortcomings, or character flaws. Someone who could right the ship of wrongs, mistakes and sin less than us. It would be like having a clone only better because the alias would never make our mistakes! However, upon reflection it occurred to me that having an alias would actually create more problems like trying to keep up with the lies you would have to tell to maintain the alias. And what about the times you could get confused and forget if you are supposed to be yourself, or your alias? It's too exhausting to think about. There's a lot of work involved in maintaining an alias. It must be incredibly hard for people who are in the government's witness protection program trying to live as someone they are not.

Instead of having an alias why not just try to be a better person? Why not try to simply vicariously live out the desired traits of an alias? You could still be you. And if you want to be an architect, or something you're not vocationally then work for it, set goals and go for it. It seems George Costanza's concept of an alias is someone who is actually better than himself. But think about it, the foundation for the character is a lie. If there's a weak foundation eventually the walls will crack and ultimately crumble.

Boy am I glad Jesus accepts us just as we are when we come to Him with humility, honesty and sincerity! When we do, He changes us into something better. As we follow Him, our hearts, will and desires are conformed to His. We are transformed. Without violating our personalities we become something we're incapable of becoming on our own. Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 3: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Now that is real and lasting, plus you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not!