The Masks We Wear

Rebekah Cherniss
Jul 10, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Oct 25, 2020

Putting on this mask allows the observer to see the reflection of what THEY want to see most.

A part of putting up walls and guarding your heart is putting on a mask or putting up a front as a way to blend in and simply get by in our chaotic society who feels a need to define EVERYTHING. Whether it is putting a definition on race - be it white, Black, Asian, Hispanic, and so forth, or gender identification, economical status, and most obvious, job title.

We are defined by everything.

And more often than not, we are defined incorrectly.

However, in the irony of it all, we don't like to be defined, yet feel the numbing need to fit into someone's definition. We as humans constantly seek to appease someone or something, even if that someone is you, yourself.

The Masks

With that, we put on our masks. A mask for work to be the go-getter your boss wants you to be. A mask with your friends to be the outgoing and fun friend who gets the party going. A mask for your family that does all for the benefit of others like a good child would do. And the most unfortunate one, a mask for yourself. This mask is worn as you switch in between identities and talk yourself into believing this is all for the best. You wear this mask because this is all you've wanted for yourself, but haven't been wholly confident in the true you to believe that is the you that you can be. So you wear this mask because if you wear it long enough maybe it'll be the identity you become.

These are the masks we wear.

What identity are you wearing?

Who is it that you see? That person...that's not you, is it?

That person reflects the person the world and you created. Are you happy with the way the world sees you? Was this something you could control, or were you born into a definition based on the reflection the world had already given you? The answers may feel daunting, but we're in a time that's ready to face the truth head-on.

What identity are you wearing?

It's a mask of the broken. A shield for the damned. A representation of all that we do to protect our beaten souls, but most importantly a facade of who we want the world to see. It's not our truth. Our truth is what we're hiding because society makes us question if our truth is worth being seen. Are you ready to see what's within? Are you ready to face the truth? Are you ready to face my truth? Am I ready to face my truth?

These are the questions that haunt me.

Is this identity mine?