The Masks We Wear
“The closing years of life are like a masquerade party, when all the masks are dropped"(German Philosopher, 1788-1860)
We are an era of “Getting Real”; people shifting their beliefs and lifestyle to live for what is really important. Unpeeling layers of façade, in a pursuit for authenticity. Looking for the “real thing” – real people, real feelings. Sounds lovely, but it takes work. This search for “realness” means, we, need to be genuine in ourselves. Leave behind the tickle trunk filled with masks. Lock away the treasure chest of disguises. And expose the purest image of self. Do we even know who that is anymore?
As a kid, clowns freaked me out (actually they still do). Now, I wasn’t a timid child. In fact I believed I was a queen who could take on anything, so to be afraid of a clown was a little weird. I don’t know if it was the stark makeup, or the exaggerated expression sprawled across their face, but the public presentation of emotion was uncomfortable. Scary even. Perhaps it was my mirror, reflecting the fear of raw and vulnerable feelings. It was at this time that I started to wear my own mask, to hide my emotions. I needed to present a solid front so people would view me as strong. Unbreakable. I hid my heart from my sleeve. Ironic actually, how someone else’s mask, made me put on my own.
The special thing about my work in the “perspective industry” (life coaching) is that I get to discover so much about life, people, and myself. Every client teaches me something new. For instance, what it takes to unveil your true face. My client, a woman who has literally evolved before my eyes in the past year, said to me, modestly, “you know, here I am wanting to be more real, and expose my true self, and yet it seems the more real I am, the more masks I need to put up. To cover all the years of hiding.” I don’t know if she was aware how profound her statement was, or that in one moment, her words changed me. Are we ever really free from the masks we wear? Or do we just exchange one for another?
I thought back to the little girl, the queen who was fearless…except, of her own self (and clowns). I wondered how my life would have been different if I had never put up a protective shield. And lived my life openly. Of course, I am learning to do that now, but it’s still a challenge. It’s still scary. The thing with clowns is that at least, their masks are obvious. We can all see that the paint on their face is not real. It’s more difficult to see the mask, when it looks like the person in the mirror.
© Desiree Daniel July 8, 2005
We are an era of “Getting Real”; people shifting their beliefs and lifestyle to live for what is really important. Unpeeling layers of façade, in a pursuit for authenticity. Looking for the “real thing” – real people, real feelings. Sounds lovely, but it takes work. This search for “realness” means, we, need to be genuine in ourselves. Leave behind the tickle trunk filled with masks. Lock away the treasure chest of disguises. And expose the purest image of self. Do we even know who that is anymore?
As a kid, clowns freaked me out (actually they still do). Now, I wasn’t a timid child. In fact I believed I was a queen who could take on anything, so to be afraid of a clown was a little weird. I don’t know if it was the stark makeup, or the exaggerated expression sprawled across their face, but the public presentation of emotion was uncomfortable. Scary even. Perhaps it was my mirror, reflecting the fear of raw and vulnerable feelings. It was at this time that I started to wear my own mask, to hide my emotions. I needed to present a solid front so people would view me as strong. Unbreakable. I hid my heart from my sleeve. Ironic actually, how someone else’s mask, made me put on my own.
The special thing about my work in the “perspective industry” (life coaching) is that I get to discover so much about life, people, and myself. Every client teaches me something new. For instance, what it takes to unveil your true face. My client, a woman who has literally evolved before my eyes in the past year, said to me, modestly, “you know, here I am wanting to be more real, and expose my true self, and yet it seems the more real I am, the more masks I need to put up. To cover all the years of hiding.” I don’t know if she was aware how profound her statement was, or that in one moment, her words changed me. Are we ever really free from the masks we wear? Or do we just exchange one for another?
I thought back to the little girl, the queen who was fearless…except, of her own self (and clowns). I wondered how my life would have been different if I had never put up a protective shield. And lived my life openly. Of course, I am learning to do that now, but it’s still a challenge. It’s still scary. The thing with clowns is that at least, their masks are obvious. We can all see that the paint on their face is not real. It’s more difficult to see the mask, when it looks like the person in the mirror.
© Desiree Daniel July 8, 2005
posted by Desiree Daniel @ 8:41 AM
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