Take Off Your Mask

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.

Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.

~Oscar Wilde

So the cliche goes, that we all wear a mask. Or perhaps several. One for work, one for certain friends, and then maybe, when we get to the quiet of our home, we take off the mask. Sadly, some even have a mask for their home and family.

I get that sometimes we need to play the game. You can’t always be 100% of your super-comfy home self at work. Or you share different aspects of yourself with certain friends and another part of you with others.

But who are you really? Do you share the majority of the integrated whole with most of the important people in your life? Or do you compartmentalize yourself? Always donning a mask so that people won’t see the real you? Are you one of those who wears your mask so that no one can really get to you. No one can reach you, so, in turn, no one can hurt you. Well, enough of that.

Unless you’re a serial killer, I’m guessing that the real you isn’t so terrible. In fact, the real you is probably pretty awesome. But it can be awkward out there in the big, wonderful world, and not everyone has the perfect chemistry, whether we’re talking friends or lovers. But unless we share our real selves, not the packaged version of ourselves, how will we ever know who we hit it off with?

So do you. Be you. Share the big, juicy whole. All of you.

And guess what? Not everyone is going to like you. Yes, that will occasionally be painful. Sometimes really painful. But to hell with them. You’re awesome and once you get going there’s no stopping you from being you. There’s a giant world out there, loaded with people, some of them looking to hang with someone just like you.

So take off your mask.

I’m betting we’ll like what we see.