Insight of the Week: Taking Off the Mask

As our current circumstances would have it, humanity has been wearing masks to protect themselves and others, to help curb the spread of the pandemic.  Depending on our whereabouts we take these masks on and off accordingly.  Many times, our friends and neighbors don’t recognize us because three-quarters of our face is hidden, so we take the mask off either completely or partially for recognition and we then greet and connect with one another because we are “seen”.  What an incredible metaphor for the other “mask” we so often wear.  The mask we put on our personas either partially or fully when we are present with others so that they do not “see” what lies beneath.

We believe that this mask of persona serves to protect us. But does it? The mask self is usually something we unconsciously have adopted somewhere in our early years as a means of self-protection from some hurt, pain or disappointment that occurred to us.  We believe that if we hide our vulnerability, our truth, or our real self, we won’t be hurt anymore. However, in hiding ourselves in the name of our self-protection we also unwittingly block out real love, authentic connection, and truth itself.

We hide out of fear of showing our true selves thereby believing we circumvent any possibility of rejection, abandonment, feelings of failure or disappointment.  This never really works, and we circumvent nothing except that wearing a mask mostly hurts us as it causes us to lie to ourselves and wear rose colored glasses as to what really “is”.  It keeps us from facing certain truths about ourselves (and others) blocking awareness and healing.  When we lie to our self, we then easily lie to others creating a false persona and running the danger of believing we are our false persona.  This constant lying and pretending keeps us in a state of incessant inner conflict. We are at war within because truth will always be there to remind you that you are wearing a mask.

Allowing ourselves to be open and vulnerable fosters connection to those parts of ourselves that have caused us pain, hurt, and we have disowned.  Becoming aware of these is the only way to heal them, for we can only heal what we accept, and we can only accept what we are aware of.  It is important to take the mask off and allow ourselves to stand in our imperfect truth.  Embracing our imperfections with honesty and vulnerability frees us from hiding our pain and hurts whether caused by others or by us.  Be brave. Tell yourself the truth about yourself.  Do not be afraid to look at your imperfect self and to allow others to see it.  Take off the mask, see yourself as you really are.  It will liberate you, bringing you to forgiveness and a place of inner peace.