“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. ...You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask.”
- Jim Morrison
Our mask is the image or facade we present to others. It is our false self that we developed in response to our environment. I think most people wear masks to protect themselves. Most people don't like to admit it but we all feel vulnerable about something. We have different reasons for using a mask. We may want to protect ourselves from getting hurt or rejected by others. We may want to become what others want us to be, in order to be accepted by them. Perhaps we feel no one would like or love who we truly are, so we hide our true self. Or we might not like ourselves so we try to pretend to be like someone else. When those situations come up, so do the masks. I think insecurity and fear lie behind most masks. Many of us just want to feel accepted.
If we are conscious of our masks then we know we are not what we pretend to be. Many are not aware of the mask they present to others.
What kind of mask do we wear? Our mask changes to meet the demands of the environment. In other words, our mask or false self depends on our external world whereas our real self relies on our internal world. Our mask reacts to the demands of our environment and our true self responds to our needs and desires. We may push ourselves to be perfect in how we look and/or how we act.
What kind of mask do we wear? Our mask changes to meet the demands of the environment. In other words, our mask or false self depends on our external world whereas our real self relies on our internal world. Our mask reacts to the demands of our environment and our true self responds to our needs and desires. We may push ourselves to be perfect in how we look and/or how we act.
I also believe that sometimes you gotta wear a mask to get your point across or get stuff done... It's like putting on a game face for any given situation.
6 comments:
Tiffany:
I agree with you. I think as humans we all we masks sometime in our lives, but this is a dilema for example as human beings we know the different between right and wrong. My point would be if we now that for example a love one is going to get hurt for a comment of event that happen or is going to happen that we now that is going to affect him hard way we always tried to wear a mask of protection so in that way he wont get hurt,but in the other hand if we are aware that a person is doing a harm so some one we now or love and is going to benefit us in some way and we still let that happen we are wearing the mask of a evil person that has no feeling at all. This are my personal thoughts. Kind regards.
I really love the quote you started your blog with! I also agree with you that people wear masks as a way of protection. Even the most confident and secure person probably wears a mask at some point. I think we do it but maybe not always on purpose. We can't help but to seek to be accepted. I also like what you say at the end, it is kind of like putting on a game face. In that sense a mask can be a positive thing. In a new situation we might feel scared like a job interview, but you kind of have to fake the confidence. I used to play soccer and heard the phrase "put on your game face" many times, playing soccer I definitely wore a different mask then I usually do!
I like your opening quote as well. Masks are devious, and they help us cope, but at a price as well.
I just posted this on Calees blog but wanted to share it on my own...
Sometimes even our physical bodies can be a mask to ourselves. Some people look at themselves in the mirror and they see something compeletly different than what others see. They feel they are so fat but yet they are skin and bones. They are masking their self image. Or some are so insecure of themselves and they just want to hide behind there bodies and they eat and eat and eat and are eventually a lost soul behind a shell.
It's so true that sometimes you need a mask to get a point across. Look at politicians for example, their life is a whole costume not just a mask! In order to put their points across they must act and life certain ways to be better received by their followers.
Like your colleagues, I found the Morrison quote as well as your post provocative. Both consciously and unconsciously we put these masks on...but often we don;t always reflect on ..as calee stated..the price we pay.
what if wearing a mask all the time allows us , on some level...to not have to deal with the possibility that we have no idea who we really are?
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