THE MASKS WE WEAR
We all wear masks,
Just to get by each day’s task,
If people knew beyond the mask the kind of thought we’ve
No one would want to put up with us on a deal
So, we wear masks, keeping the fakeness real.
While we continue to die within
Eventually, we would die and leave this earth
Never to google who we are and our full worth.
We all wear masks, at every point in time. We hide our true feelings in the name of wanting to be nice but the undergirding reason is to receive societal applause and acceptance. We are forced to live a kind of lifestyle that fits the societal box. To make it clear I agree that we have societal values and duties. What I mean to deal with is the issue of people concealing or changing their personality and personal feelings to conform to societal pressure and abuse. The truth is we will always wear a mask but let’s learn to take it off especially when we know it is necessary. The journey towards the holy City entails constant paradigm shifts that adjust and stripes the number of masks from our faces. We all wear masks, but the question here is this “at what expense are you prepared to keep the mask on your face while you die from within?” I reckon that the process of mask-wearing stems from home. When we face rejection, it takes an emotional toll on the soul. But when you live under constant rejection it changes you from within, makes you an addict to affirmation. Let me just say this, no one can get used to being rejected, no, that you claim you are used to being rejected is another mask you put on to hide your true wounds. As social creatures, our psychology is built towards a sense of belonging. That sense of belonging helps bring meaning to our life. Even introverts when given a warm environment show signs of life. We gain a sense of value and meaning through interactions and affirmations. What then happens when you face rejection when your folks tell you that “you are dumb” or your dad never says “you are beautiful”. It creates a wound. Instead of healing; efforts are pushed into looking nicer or getting more good scores and yet nothing you do gets you the affirmation you want from your folks, so you turn towards the other people and it begins a cycle where you begin to get intoxicated from the affirmation of people. And it is their identity or in this case another mask you begin to wear to define yourself. You would have to put on some form of clothing you may not like or appear sluttier just to gain that affirmation. At that point, you realize that you are dying from within.
Wounds are meant to be dressed and healed not covered with tattered clothing and kept a secret. Look at social media and how people seek affirmation from strangers. And to keep the affirmation coming, they must do more, show more skin, speak profanity. The traction fills the void. Looking for affirmation, conforming to this societal pressure and expectation opens you up to be an easy target. This is the real opiate of the masses and not religion.
Balance is everything. Water in its pure form is between 6.6–7 on the potential hydrogen scale, anything below or above means that the water is no longer safe for people to consume. Yet in many cases, we attempt to put up with things we would not have on a normal day. Your true self would not put up with certain things but because of the fear of rejection and abuse. In the name of not wanting to stir trouble or to keep the peace we just wear the mask, pretend all is all right whiles we bleed from within. Other than that, why be in something toxic or conform to the toxicity in society? they may fill a void but do we not realize that the reck destruction to the fabric of our being.
There is no need to hide your hurt. How do we heal from such hurt in the soul? The story of the good Samaritan is a good example. Although this was to tell us who was our neighbor; I think the story can be applied within this context. A Jew is attacked by robbers on his journey, remember that these robbers could have probably been Jews themselves. Remember also, that it was not ghosts or demons who inflicted pain on him but mortal men. The Jewish man is robbed and then beaten. A priest and a Levite both pass by him and all under the masks of righteousness even though a man who is from their very own is lying down. These are the men who have probably been reading “love your neighbor as yourself”. Now I would like to stop here and say this. That in many cases we are going to be hurt by people we know than people we do not know. I imagined being in the position of the Jew on the floor beaten and bleeding and seeing fellow men bypass you. This is the human condition, the desire to adhere to rules in the name of piety irrespective of the fact that it violates the sacredness of another human life. It was Malachi who summarized the laws of Moses: to love mercy, do justice, and walk before the Lord humbly. The Samaritan man is an archetypical representation of Christ. Christ is the man who is conscientious and merciful. Christ is the Man that finds a man in their weakest state and applies the first aid to the human condition. Oil, wine, and bandages. God offers the first aid to the human condition: but realizes that after offering the remedy of the human condition, he hands the Jewish man to an innkeeper for him to rest and receive further treatment because he is about to journey. In the faith especially in Christianity, there is a dangerous doctrine that makes people suppose that prayer can solve everything. But that is not the case. God solves the dilemma of the heart and applies the first aid to stop further corruption but God brings us to a family, the church, his body. God made us bond with each other. God supplies the change of nature and heart and the family that will help complete restoration.
It takes time to notice and remove a mask; especially if the societal expectation of you is daunting, people are mostly baited to keep their mask on even though its conflicts with their inner being. But I am sure that as we continue in God and fellowship, our lives can attain alignment with Christ even as we are changed by and through the word of God. I also recommend getting help from elders or pastors or even psychologists. Mental health is really important. Prayer can help but God did not make any man an island and it is imperative to be able to relay hurts and pain for a brethren to help carry the yoke. That is where beauty and joy are.
