Yesterday, I spoke on a panel about living authentically and removing the masks. The topic required that I delve deep into myself for some self awareness and discovery exercises. Masks are extremely common and create environments that enable stagnation, complacency, and uniformity instead of ones that promote progression. Masks, as defined by Google, is a covering for all or part of the face, worn as a disguise, or to amuse or terrify other people. We often associate masks with Halloween or themed events where we get to ‘mask’ who we are in order to become something or someone else. However, what we fail to realize is that once we take off the physical, tangible mask, we are still, subconsciously, wearing the intangible, invisible mask. And that brings us here…to this blog…to discuss our ever-present costume, how it hinders us, and how to remove it to be and obtain everything we desire.
Masks, hypothetical or not, are worn in an effort to appear as something other than what is. While we have enjoyed wearing them for holidays such as Halloween, they become indirect hindrances to our destiny. Digital media has created an environment that supports the idea of false pretenses, pretended personalities, and warped realities. We wear masks to fit in, hide insecurities, and present perceived stability among many other things. But at what point does the mask become too uncomfortable to wear and the weight of the lie too much to carry? These masks become protective barriers that soften the blow of having to reveal the true us. Through forced actions, behaviors, and tones we push ourselves to fit into a societal one-size-fits-all category and move further from our unique, authentic being…all to fit in with people who are wearing the same mask. When do we stop the masquerade?
There comes a time when we have to embrace our authentic self…the person God fearfully and wonderfully made us to be. The person full of passion and purpose that is lost behind the mask of standards never meant for us. In order to obtain the land that is yours, you have to authentically, unapologetically, faithfully, and confidently be you. Imagine the possibilities and opportunities that could unfold IF and only IF you removed the facade and lived an authentic life. There is so much freedom beyond the bounds and limits we place on ourselves subconsciously.
Read this excerpt published in England by Barry Long Books. ©1994.
Behind every personality, behind every mask, is a character. Character is your God-given uniqueness. Character is what you have to return to more consciously in yourself — the character of your joyous being behind the personality. Everybody without exception has character. The personality so often obscures and deprives you of the pleasure of your character, but this lovable or admirable character appears when the personality is no longer active, when the frontal awareness is connected directly with the flame of innocence. The man or woman is then seen in a different light; the unique character shines forth, and we feel pleased or privileged to be in their company.
The stress of the personality arises out of the terrible contradiction of trying to hold on to existence, while the life that you are lets go every moment. Life is ceaseless movement. Everything now is different in some way to what it was yesterday.
Why don’t we move like life, with the speed of love that lets go every moment? The answer is in the two words life and existence. Life is in existence but existence is not life. Life is new every moment. Existence also should be new every moment, but we hold on to it and it becomes painful. If you don’t hold on to existence, you are the life in it, new every moment. Then the two become a harmony. Then being is joyous.
The harmonious interchange between life within and existence without depends on you keeping your psyche free-flowing. The personality clogs the psychic system which is naturally ever moving. The personality freeze-frames our existence. We’ve freeze-framed our houses, our possessions, our children; and made them ‘mine’. We hang on to them as though they’d disappear if we don’t cling to them. It’s all due to the insecure personality that feels it must either hold on or lose its identity. So we fight people or countries to hold on to what we have. But life as we see it around us, behind all the personable people and their personal problems, holds on to nothing.
Time To Energize Your True Self
So now we come to the crucial question. How can you learn to let go, and be life that is new every moment? How do you start to live joyously? The answer is you have to get more energy.
The remarkable thing is that all the energy you require is already in you now. But it’s being wasted by your personality. There is only so much energy in your system, your body. It’s not unlimited, but there is sufficient to enable you to realize the truth; to return you to the joyous life behind the mask — your original, vast and untroubled state of being.