The Mask

My life has been the exact text book definition of a roller coaster ride. In every twist and turn that 21 years of existence could provide, I have seen valuable lessons and even destruction towards the later end. Coming out of every big fall brings out a new you within yourself. But in the recent past the enlightening that was long due to me, made me realize and see a lot of patterns and pieces of puzzles that will eventually unfold into the big picture.
Wise people say that 21 is a very small number. But for the keenly observant person, it is long enough to see a lot of faces. And each face ironically has two stories to tell. The story told by the external mask of the person and the story that is deep buried inside that mask. The fact is that we all have masks. Masks that society has made us wear. Some have a very thin and see through mask while others have a thick impenetrable one that we sometimes mistake for the person’s true face. To smile in front of others in spite of all the adversaries in your life, is a talent that develops on its own within everyone. When the need for such a mask is realized we just get better and better at it.
Every on ride photograph of life will show us all smiling even though deep inside us we all are clinging on for our dear life. It is the sense of security that the mask gives us, that makes it so difficult for us to do without it. In today’s dynamic progressively shrinking world, when all sanctuaries of the human soul is encroached to the very extend that even our personal space is being occupied by the virtual society of face book and twitter, the mind is the only true sanctuary of truthfulness and freedom. This sanctity of the human soul not only defines a person’s individuality but also points out the key elements that can be used to manipulate him. And to protect this sacred world from predators of the society that shaped out of the hunger for domination and power, we build walls around it to fortify it. This fort is what is perceived as a mask to another person.
It’s rarely that another person is allowed inside one’s secure fortress. Trust is the bridge that allows you to cross the moat of diplomacy, cunningness, deceit and every possible manipulative emotion that surrounds your sacred fort. The fact that one must be careful in choosing who to let in is really tedious and considered unnecessary by many. They concentrate on fortifying and give less importance to the company of another like minded soul. These people tend to be alone by themselves. Some on the other hand are easily trusting. They tend to get hurt often by the betrayal of their trust. These people also go a long way in ensuring the happiness of people around them. They have a false understanding that if people around them are happy, the emotions will be reciprocated back to them. They have the least understanding of the surroundings and the functioning principles of society and human mind set. And as far as my observations of my fellow travelers in this theatrical stage show goes, it is very evident of the existence of a third group of actors. They, being the smartest of all, put on a mask that acts as a decoy. Not only do they have a think wall around them, they also have an additional distraction on the outskirts that deviate any one intending on breaching the security. The false sense of direction given by the false mask, keeps their true identity hidden from the radars of those seeking true company of these people.
Society is full of masks. Masks put on by everyone for every reason possible. A good husband, good wife, family man, true friend, faithful lover, you name it, it’s out there. Everyone has their reasons and their chosen strategies. What’s important here is the existence of these masks and understanding their implications and deciding on how you go about this very fact. Human mind is the most beautiful thing that ever existed. It is a sanctuary that connects us to another world with no logical or social boundaries. And hence it has to be protected from any contagious influence.