The Masks We Hide

Recently in class, we spoke about the countless masks people put on for others. Some believed these were bad and that by doing so individuals hide their true self, but I believe that having different personas can be a good thing.

For one, think about all the different ways you act around different people. If you were meeting the President, you wouldn't act in the same manner as you would if you were hanging out with friends. Or the way you act around your parents vs. the way you talk to a teacher. There are some things you would never tell a teacher that you don't even think twice about when telling your parents. In this way, it is great that we act in another way with other people because it allows us to censor our thoughts and say the right thing in the current setting.

Also, by putting a mask on, we allow ourselves as individuals to test out a different side of ourselves. For example, if you were to go with a parent to work and act more maturely than usual, you have an opportunity to test your professional side, and discover if you enjoy being in that type of work environment. By putting on a facade, it also allows you to adapt to a setting. If you had, instead of acting maturely, goofed around all day, people would view and treat you differently. This would in turn change your perspective of a work environment if people were being harsh to you instead of treating you like a grown up.

I honestly believe that putting on a mask is a good thing. It can be very beneficial to the way you see things and can also change your mood entirely. I wonder too then, if we change personas constantly, then what are actors doing when they are on stage? Are they changing to fit to a new persona? It seems unlikely, since when we usually switch masks, they are still constant with our individual thoughts and actions. Whereas actors are not controlling how their characters reacts to a situation. Instead they must almost put on a double mask, the first which controls how they as an individual will play out the role, and a second that has to only respond to what the character would do!