Masks
From Menletter December 2011 By Tim Baehr MasksMasks
are very useful. They can hide a villain or a hero.
They can also be just the everyday masks we put on
(mostly unconsciously) to present ourselves to the
world. In all these cases, of course, our true
identity is hidden. I
was thinking about the kinds of psychic masks we
wear every day, and I
was struck by the range of possibilities if the
names of the Seven Dwarfs in the Disney version of
the Snow White tale could be assigned to various
masks. Let's run down the list and see if any of
them are familiar.
Sneezy.
This is our illness mask. We may be truly ill, but
our Sneezy mask lets
everybody know. We may even use the mask to
overdramatize an illness to get out of work or other
responsibilities. Sleepy.
This is our lazy mask, our too-tired-to-cope mask.
We know we can step up and get the job done, but why
bother? Dopey.
Our Dopey mask slips on when we're overwhelmed and
at a loss for words, or when a task seems too
complicated. We tell ourselves that we just don't
have the brains. Doc.
Doc is always trying to fix things. He has endless
advice for a partner in distress, or a child who
can't figure out her homework (but should be left to
figure things out for herself).
This mask needs a white steed to ride while coming
to the rescue, or at least a doctor's white coat to
give an air of authority. Happy.
Let's put on Happy's
face even when we (or even others) are hurting or
angry. Sometimes we're trying to be brave or
helpful. But Happy can let us hide from unpleasant
situations, and he can hide a lot of our own pain
and rage that might be better coming out into the
open. Bashful.
Shyness is a personality trait, and its pain can be
deeply felt as we avoid other people. But it can
also be a mask that mirrors our lack of
self-confidence. It may be hard to tell when we're
being shy and when we're hiding behind the Bashful
mask. Grumpy.
What better way to keep people at arm's length than
to go around with a scowl and a curt word or two.
This may be the mask we use to hide from commitment,
or to hide from our own softer feelings. Grumpy
feels masculine; our softer side feels too feminine.
But that softer side is every bit as masculine as
the hard exterior of the mask. The
traditional, non-Disney dwarf was far from cute. He
was a digger under the mountains, a keeper of hidden
wisdom. Our
masks are the way we present ourselves to the world,
and it's a good idea to at least be aware of them.
And sometimes it's useful to take off a mask and let
the world see who we really are. Who knows - there
might be a hero behind it. M ©Copyright
2011 by Tim Baehr |
