Faces

"She had blue skin

And so did he.

He kept it hid

And so did she.

They searched for blue

Their whole life through.

Then passed right by-

And never knew."

- Shel Silverstein

The above lines really struck a chord in me and got me thinking of how we all go through our lives with masks on our faces. Multiple ones that we don for every situation - one for friends, one for family, one at work, one for the masses and let's not forget the one that we wear with ourselves. Because somewhere in the midst of all the different faces we loose the quality of being aware of who we really are, of being able to face the truth of our own personalities. There are a few people who are ready to be honest with themselves and live with the consequences of their decisions. Most of the time we shove it down deep inside, make ourselves believe that what was done was a necessary evil and that it is not who we truly are. We put a smile on our faces while dealing with the masses, go with the flow, pretending to not have a care in the world shoving down the internal turmoil. Then there are those of us who hide away ourselves since we are afraid to voice the truth, voice our actual opinion, afraid of not fitting in anymore. So we put on a front that would let us be part of the 'inner circle', let us enjoy the few moments of inclusion.

Is this what interaction gets reduced to? What is the point of choosing to surround yourself with people with whom you can't be real, can't be yourself. But this what by and large has become of society; pretending to be something you are not, pretending to show the world how 'happening' things are for you - that is what life has become all about. And while I agree that it is necessary to wear these masks, it is also necessary to not to let them take over who you truly are, to always ensure that you may show the world a different side but at the end of the day you can still be honest with yourself and hopefully those you hold dear. It is necessary to voice your opinion from time to time and not be afraid of what people will think, to do what feels right by you and not what the society wants you to do. You never know the opportunities and relationships you may be loosing out on just because you are too busy 'fitting in', too busy being someone you are not.

So sit yourself down from time to time and do some self introspection. Try to dig deep and separate yourself from who you portray to be so that while you may fake it in public you can still be true to yourself.