Comments on: Weekly Free Association : The Mask

By: Catherine

Catherine — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:51:33 +0000

Sometimes the mask we are wearing, is easily forgotten, and it becomes difficult to remove because perhaps life is too enjoyable or easier when the mask is adorned…
but one has to tear it off if one must live truthfully to life and one’s soul.

By: Marie-Christine

Marie-Christine — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:47:16 +0000

to waken in us the deepest and truest emotions, it is freedom and love

By: Lilith

Lilith — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:13:45 +0000

Mask for me is associated with forgetting the everyday life and letting my “higher self” act. In African traditions mask is a vessel for the gods or spirits to act through human body and speech. So this is the first thing that comes to my mind.
For masks that people wear to hide … not always good, but sometimes necessary, and there is always need to let the true feelings out!

By: Avemncentee

Avemncentee — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:40:51 +0000

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take a look at them:
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By: monish21

monish21 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:11:39 +0000

Few Lines I wrote after reading this article:
(Let me know what you guys think)

Mask the sorrow, for soon there will be a better tomorrow.
Mask the heat, for soon will happiness greet.
Mask the wire, but don't let it hurt your desire.
Mask ain't a thing, but look at what it brings.
Mask will take you there, Mask it cause you just don't care

Monish K Khosla

PS: If you ever read this Mr Paulo, I am from India, living in US – I am 25 years old and love to communicate with this world. I would like to have chat with you someday.
Email: monish21@gmail.com

By: Mohammed El-Sawah

Mohammed El-Sawah — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:33:05 +0000

Freedom… Though it is really strange that a restraint like a mask can be a source of freedom, but this is what it represents to me. I picture the Chinese opera and the tales of the warriors with angry, brave, villain, and coward masks that display fixed emotion throughout the story, yet does not hinder the smooth flow of the story line. that is because they are a reflection of the personality not the emotion.

Reality is the source of restraint, the Mask is the source of Freedom.

By: Kerblotto

Kerblotto — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:36:58 +0000

Masks are truth, we are what we pretend to be.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:46:21 +0000

As we grow up, we learned that the society demand a mask of us. Depend on which society we're in, we need to put on the right mask. As a child, people would easily overlook the lack of the right mask. But as a grown up wearing a wrong mask in front of the wrong society would give us some grieve.

Behind a mask as well we can hide our true self. And that is the dangerous side of mask, 'Cause there, hidden by a mask we could easily lost our self.

But I think, whatever a mask means for someone, that mask is simply a piece of ourself, that we show to the society we're in as it demanded.

By: THELMA

THELMA — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:46:01 +0000

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kCVcIc5Uwmc&fea…
Life is a ..cabaret!!
Love,
Thelma

By: 1995naomi

1995naomi — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:23:00 +0000

To me the mask denotes mystery. Different types of masks raise different emotions-while the mask of a kathakali dancer may evoke appreciation of the dance form and the accompanying drama, a tribal mask brings to mind some pagan ceremony-with loin cloth clad tribals(no offence meant-just imagery) dancing around a pot on fire with skulls hanging around their necks, and last but not the least a superman or batman mask on my child's face evokes love and affection. Now I am pass the stage when just an eye mask on a handsome stranger would increase the heart beat !

By: Olga Bendaña

Olga Bendaña — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:05:36 +0000

Very interesting the different views…

By: T

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:26:48 +0000

Sometimes, though, when you refuse to wear this mask given to you by society, society often accuses you of not being "real". Masked people often like talking to other masked people. One time society had Elders, Medicine People, Witches, etc. who could see beyond this mask and they were sought out for counsel in a most natural way. Today, we go behind the closed doors of Psychologists, Counsellors, and other forms of lay counsellors to unburden ourselves of this mask. No wonder there is much deceit in the world and institutions that support this deceit with the masking of true Spirit. Yet, i have great hope in the mystery of Spirit to lead us to dismantle the mask for each of us.

By: pinkanabiz!

pinkanabiz! — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:39:55 +0000

people are wearing mask of heart for to long that makes them forgot who they really are, who they should be and what they should do…

By: Farah Qureshi

Farah Qureshi — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:34:45 +0000

I totally agree with you. Thats extactly what I believe and yes, we all use masks in order to survive.

By: Tania

Tania — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:34:26 +0000

Well we can only hide behind masks for so long – for they can cover our individuality -,charm and bluff for so long but eventually people see that its not truth -while our authentic self has no mask and is born of spirit -which is steadfast ,honest and open .It trusts respects and honors ,gives and never lets us down -Your true self is free to celebrate ,while wearing masks mocks . Love and Light Tania

By: Farah Qureshi

Farah Qureshi — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:30:21 +0000

We human beings all have several masks and we use them on a dayli basis. When we go to work, we have our professional mask on altough we underneath feel fragile, unhappy or happy, but in order to act as a professional at job we create this mask thst indicates that we are strong and know how to handle things. But underneath we are just as afraid as anyone else ad don´t want to lose face. Our Social society has teached us that in order to live and act normally, we need to use our masks to hide the reality. I actually began crying to your boo " Veronika decides to die" when I was reading in the the train and people starte at me like..whats wrong with her? why is she crying over a book? But it really touched me and I really didn´t wanted to use my mask at that moment, because I was so caught up in your boomand I just let my emotions float.

The mask is necessary so that we can survive and at the same time it is also important to let go of it so that you can reveal yourself and be true to yourself.

By: Mirela Baron

Mirela Baron — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:37:24 +0000

I`m very sad,sorry ,because I`ve just saw a documentar film on the channel arte,about the crimes that nazis people have done,the jeuish,and gipsis and all the people that don`t agree to them and their politic to this time!
Today we all buy batteries Varta, or drive very luxurios BMW (SORRY;MAYBE NOT WE ALL),and nobody knows that the posesor of this two big concerns companys is a Family names Quandt, from Germany ,who had made her capital for that ,with the workers blood that cames directly from concentration lager.They used this humanbeing and killed them because of no using anny chemical protection and don´t giving them water to drink,so that they had to drink from toilets!!!!
Now ,the junior Quandt,said for the cameraman,that he don`t feel any responsability about the past of his father,grandfather and the art how he aunt his money today.
I have to think on the Comunists in Romania and allover Europe,on the socialists in Austria,all they put a new Mask and with a new identity tried again all cca.50 years to play a new role ,to broke all the morall rules,to broke the Love and Life for theyr personal needs.
The Point in this Time now, is that nobody is capabel to admit any destructive Mask again!!!
All the Masks are falling down!

Let us pray for that!

Love
Mirela(the woman in lift)

By: Alexis

Alexis — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:57:48 +0000

I believe the mask is a veil and creates a sense of security for the person wearing it allowing them to act however they want, but they are still afraid of societies judgements if the true identity is revealed.
We should never be afraid of being ourselves and if a person judges and makes us feel terrible, that is the point where you walk away and say goodbye to that soul.

By: elisabeth delage

elisabeth delage — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:43:22 +0000

in fact it’s not easy to see if someone is wearing a mask.in fact i’m not sure if i can see that or not.i had a good friend,who passed away since a long time,he was be abble to see that,sometimes he showed me some people that in fact for me, i believed that i saw them clearly,but he said “no they’re wearing a mask” the circumstances showed to me after that he was right.then i made a lot of mistakes again,i don’t know why i can’t learn that..i don’t talk about caution,or to see lies,but to be abble to see the truth of someone,it’s a gift maybe to see that..

By: julymorning

julymorning — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:15:54 +0000

Masking is filtering the message you want to give to the world at a certain time. We normaly create an official mask, composing an immage that we believe would do us good if we would would comply with it. We wear it every day and we like to identify ourselves with it. Sometimes we genuinely believe we are it. Once in a while however there are things that want to get out. Then for a carnival we chose the costume that fits that thing hidden there deep inside of us. We want to be pirates or gypsies or princesses or you name it… This is an expression of the freedom that we don’t actualy experience in the normal life where we live under the pressure of our desire for normality, for being like most of the others, for being part of whatever community we are born in or have the privilege to chose…

We are masks. All of us. As members of the society. Transparency is possible only for the most humble, for the cleanest hearts, for the most selfless… Gosh, where are they…?

By: KUKU

KUKU — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:48:45 +0000

After some thought, I associate the human body with the mask. It’s this temporary exterior most people use to define themselves throughout their lifetime. As the body ages, people fill the need to redefine their persona. I’ve heard people being told to “be a Man”, “Act like a Woman”, “A lady doesn’t do that”… All this expression are based on our the natural mask, our body which I spirit one day will condemn.

Washington DC
KUKU

By: Olga

Olga — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:25:47 +0000

I have a dream: some day people will see words as they are: words, and some day people will see each other as they are: people. Words aren’t bad or good. Reality is outside, in the shape of words, meanings are in our hearts. But there are people with hearts that are dirty, full of envy and all sort of crap. Sorry, I did not make them dirty.

I have to stop, look inside me and clean my heart in order to be able to go on. That’s why I understand other people’s hearts and they don’t. That makes me sad but, come on, I live for these stuff, and after sadness comes joy; I guarantee.

By: Olga

Olga — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:03:28 +0000

One one hand, carnival, on the other, religion. I truly apreciate and enjoy both. They are like air, like water or the sun to me. They make me feel alive, they make me part of the Universe and I like Cosmos because it’s huuuuge! and powerful and beautiful and fun and full of surprises.

By: cat forsley

cat forsley — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:00:37 +0000

we all wear masks
i believe the ultimate goal
is to strip them all off
and to see our truth
we are all the same
we are all the same
our insides are made of the same stuff =love

ALL LOVE=cat

By: luce

luce — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:27:48 +0000

Dear Paulo,

some time ago almost similar question was on your blog.

This time I’ll just tell you about carnival mask.

FUNY THING IS THAT WE DRESS UP FOR WHAT WE WISH TO BE, AS PARENTS DRESS THEIR LITTLE GIRLS IN FAIRIES AND PRINCESSES !

I wonder why so many nowdays put Zorro mask ?

Love
Luce

By: THELMA

THELMA — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:22:43 +0000

A beautiful song, my dearest Paul from Austria. We are the clowns in the theater of life. We are here for a purpose, a role to play, in the big school, and the lesson is LOVE.
LOVE,
THELMA

By: Diego

Diego — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:23:28 +0000

I think, behind de mask, we show our deepest feelings. That is something good when it is used as a protest. When it is just for funny, we consequently learn bad things just for “fun”.

By: Giovanni

Giovanni — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:17:13 +0000

Mi ricordo una frase di nietzsche friedrich :”cosa potrebbe importare ad un faust dei giorni nostri di sedersi a teatro tra uomini con gli occhi da talpa che sognano imprese magnifiche di vedere le azioni che compie lui stesso tutti i giorni ?”

By: Sefer JAN

Sefer JAN — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:06:27 +0000

Human beings want to hide their face behind it, because face gives up all their emotions, feelings, thoughts. People may think that mask is a shield of the soul, but it only can hide us, but it can not cure or even protect our reality, character, behaviour. Wearing mask is the easiest way of changing your outer profile, but not inner. Everything that we use to hide or change our real being according to others can be associated with mask.

I want to remind famous words of Mawlana Jalaladdin Rumi who says: “Seem to be as you are, or become as you seem to be.”

By: Silvio

Silvio — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:46:42 +0000

The reason people hide behind a mask is because of fear of being judged. If you make agreement with yourself not to judge others, it means not that others will judge you. If you take off your social mask, then you allow people to see real you and who you are. When you do this, you show no care for the negative judgements. If people do not wear social mask, they allow themselves to be judged, but if feels a lot better to be yourself because “The people who mind don’t matter, and the people who matter don’t mind.” God bless to all.