Haven't you ever been fascinated by a child?
A child has virtually no fear in the world. He is most innocent, untouched and brazen. He does not take into account the feelings or the reaction of the person he is speaking to. He hates shamelessly, questions shamelessly, acts shamelessly and loves shamelessly. He isn't bound by society's etiquette and morals obligations. He is the speaker of unfiltered, unbiased, pure opinion. Unfortunately this pure opinion is perhaps the most virulent of all weapons. Of course people tend to ignore these remarks from a child. He is still young, so let him think freely and act freely.
But as the child grows he notices how his words can be injurious. He is made to see that his opinion is harmful to others. He is lovingly told to not say such things. Two years later, he is sternly asked to apologize. Two years more, and he will get an earful about how he must think about others' feelings. Another two years, and he will be hated and abused. The child now comes to realize that his innate form that was adored and taken passively is not acceptable to those all around him. And try as we might, man is a social animal and we cannot live without a society. So the child weaves himself a mask.
It will not be perfect at first. But slowly it is acclimated to the demands of the society. His feelings and his thoughts, whatever they may be underneath, are to be hidden behind this mask.
Every day we put on this mask. Each one of us has their own mask. Some do not cover fully what they hide, while some may be so intricate that you fail to even guess what lies beneath. Sometimes we get carried away with our emotions and do not wear this mask properly. Some people purposefully design their masks in sharp contrast to what they cover. Some people get fed up and stop wearing these masks. Such people are deemed eccentric at the very least. Such people become indifferent to society and walk around with their naked faces, proud of who they are. They may be loved, they may be laughed at, they may be resented or they may be scorned. But all of us envy them.
Because this mask is nothing but a dead-weight; pulling us down, holding us back and slowly stifling us. We groan and squirm underneath but the mask doesn't let anyone see us. So we seek respites, a break from this drudgery, a fresh breath of air. We try to find people, with whom we are not afraid to take off our masks just an inch or so and perhaps more. But every person is different and does not agree with each other's stark nakedness. We can break away a part of our mask when we are with them, but cannot take it off altogether for we fear that we will lose them.
All of us need to find a person with whom we can take of our masks completely and be ourselves. With whom every moment is a relief and a vacation from the artificial reality of the world. We are often distracted by those whose masks look good. But your true counterpart in this world is the one who accepts your innate form and whose innate self you accept. One with whom you can dispose of your mask and not be afraid to express your innermost thoughts and feelings. One whose unmasked form is not a copy of yours, but is the perfect balance to your goods and evils.
Friends, you can take any great man in the history of this world and you will find that they are all good in some ways and bad in some ways. But the one thing they will have in common is that they have completely accepted their own innate nature. And despite their evils you too will respect them because they are the ones who understood their own form, honed it, polished it and actualized their true being. And that is the very purpose of this life.
We have become so busy shaping our masks and have been wearing it for so long that we have forgotten what we look like underneath. We cannot understand ourselves. But that is what must be done. You should be able to take off your mask go in front of the mirror and know all the beauties and scars perfectly. For only then can you actualize your self and do your role in the world.
And only the one who can perfect his own self can walk in the society maskless.
~Sanchit
A child has virtually no fear in the world. He is most innocent, untouched and brazen. He does not take into account the feelings or the reaction of the person he is speaking to. He hates shamelessly, questions shamelessly, acts shamelessly and loves shamelessly. He isn't bound by society's etiquette and morals obligations. He is the speaker of unfiltered, unbiased, pure opinion. Unfortunately this pure opinion is perhaps the most virulent of all weapons. Of course people tend to ignore these remarks from a child. He is still young, so let him think freely and act freely.
But as the child grows he notices how his words can be injurious. He is made to see that his opinion is harmful to others. He is lovingly told to not say such things. Two years later, he is sternly asked to apologize. Two years more, and he will get an earful about how he must think about others' feelings. Another two years, and he will be hated and abused. The child now comes to realize that his innate form that was adored and taken passively is not acceptable to those all around him. And try as we might, man is a social animal and we cannot live without a society. So the child weaves himself a mask.
It will not be perfect at first. But slowly it is acclimated to the demands of the society. His feelings and his thoughts, whatever they may be underneath, are to be hidden behind this mask.
Every day we put on this mask. Each one of us has their own mask. Some do not cover fully what they hide, while some may be so intricate that you fail to even guess what lies beneath. Sometimes we get carried away with our emotions and do not wear this mask properly. Some people purposefully design their masks in sharp contrast to what they cover. Some people get fed up and stop wearing these masks. Such people are deemed eccentric at the very least. Such people become indifferent to society and walk around with their naked faces, proud of who they are. They may be loved, they may be laughed at, they may be resented or they may be scorned. But all of us envy them.
Because this mask is nothing but a dead-weight; pulling us down, holding us back and slowly stifling us. We groan and squirm underneath but the mask doesn't let anyone see us. So we seek respites, a break from this drudgery, a fresh breath of air. We try to find people, with whom we are not afraid to take off our masks just an inch or so and perhaps more. But every person is different and does not agree with each other's stark nakedness. We can break away a part of our mask when we are with them, but cannot take it off altogether for we fear that we will lose them.
All of us need to find a person with whom we can take of our masks completely and be ourselves. With whom every moment is a relief and a vacation from the artificial reality of the world. We are often distracted by those whose masks look good. But your true counterpart in this world is the one who accepts your innate form and whose innate self you accept. One with whom you can dispose of your mask and not be afraid to express your innermost thoughts and feelings. One whose unmasked form is not a copy of yours, but is the perfect balance to your goods and evils.
Friends, you can take any great man in the history of this world and you will find that they are all good in some ways and bad in some ways. But the one thing they will have in common is that they have completely accepted their own innate nature. And despite their evils you too will respect them because they are the ones who understood their own form, honed it, polished it and actualized their true being. And that is the very purpose of this life.
We have become so busy shaping our masks and have been wearing it for so long that we have forgotten what we look like underneath. We cannot understand ourselves. But that is what must be done. You should be able to take off your mask go in front of the mirror and know all the beauties and scars perfectly. For only then can you actualize your self and do your role in the world.
And only the one who can perfect his own self can walk in the society maskless.
~Sanchit
