Main picture credit to ArtsMetaphor.com.
I did a search and the very first thing that came up on a Metaphorical mask, which I thought was direct; “The metaphor of wearing masks is not new and we wear them to protect our vulnerable inner true selves (ChangingMinds.org).”
I am sure I am not the only guilty person that does this, and I am even more certain that the larger population does this in some form or another. I know that for me these last 10 years or so, have been a big struggle, and getting through each day, for me, I feel that I need to wear a different mask each day.
Sometimes I wake up depressed, angry, or sad, but I put on my happy mask. Then I have those days I wake up ready to go, but I end up putting on my Angry mask. I think I do the latter because I want t keep people away that day, but am not sure exactly why.
The thing is that many of us find it easier, especially in today’s society of social media, to put on a metaphorical mask just to get through the day. I think this whole lockdown, and restriction have created a society of mask wearers and somehow many just can’t get out of it.
I know that wearing a Metaphorical mask has been around for ages, but I think that this phenomenon has been increasing more over the past 5-10 years. I know that for me, I don’t recall wearing a Metaphorical mask when I was younger. But it doesn’t mean I did just to fit in. The thing is that lately, the Metaphorical mask wearing is no longer just to fit in, but to hide from everyone else.
Then how can someone get to know us for who we really are, if we are so caught up on what we think other people may think about us? Our minds become convoluted, and we lose sight of what really is and what is not. Think about this, and it might be a bad example but let’s say that your boss pissed you off, and you are responding to an email he sent you. Well, I am sure that many of us had other thoughts on what we should respond with, and what we would really like to say, but we know that society or the norm tells us not to do that. Of course, the main reason would be not to get fired, but we have all been there and thought about this, how it would feel to just say exactly what you are feeling.
Right, but we know that if say exactly what we are feeling, it will come back and bite us in the butt one way or another. It makes being yourself a tough thing to do. Now, don’t get me wrong, we should all be ourselves and not worry what other’s say, but how many of us truly are ourselves?
My Metaphorical mask wearing these days is simply to put on my happy face around my kids, so they don’t get traumatized about the relationship I have with their mother. I mean we are not at each other’s throats, but just hanging around our house over the weekend, you’d think we were roommates.
So, this Metaphorical mask wearing is very difficult to get rid of completely, because I think that there are maybe some cases where wearing a Metaphorical mask is necessary, sort of like a “little white lie”, you know. It doesn’t make it acceptable, but it can serve a purpose, as long as you don’t get lost in this Metaphorical mask.
I know I am struggling and for the most part, the only person in my household that listens to me is my daughter, and even though she is aware of what is going on in our home, she understands and does her best to keep me real – something I truly appreciate. For now, I will continue to wear my Metaphorical masks, but I will also remember who I am and that I am a good person.
What do you think about this whole Metaphorical mask thing, let me know your opinion on this subject. I would really love to hear someone else’s perspective.
As always, I appreciate you stopping by and I leave you with this thought, “Confidence is not “they will like me”, Confidence is “I’ll be fine if they don’t” – inspiringandpositivequotes.com.”