Sunday, April 30, 2006

Unveiling the Mask...!

Have you ever wondered yourself like what happens if you forget your costume oneday, which you put it on and off every single day without even realizing that you are doing it? The costume which I am talking about here is, wearing a mask of someone’s over ourselves away from who we really are inside. The mask that we wear the moment we get off from the bed , starting from there with our own spouse, by changing us according to their expectation. It starts right from the bedroom then it continues onto our children playing how the society compels and dictates you to behave as to how you should interact. Then we go to our work place yet under a different coat like someone that we are not even familiar with, there we behave in accordance with how our higher or lower level colleagues expect us to present. This is how everyone of us act in a day to day basis.

In spite of that, have you ever gotten a chance to be yourself and enjoy a whole day, without wearing any formal mask which hides you away from your true nature? Now, you might ask me what is it that ‘true nature’ we are talking about here. Well, the simple answer to that question is, it could be the way you wanted to interact with your spouse or children.

For instance, you want to kid around with your spouse while you take an evening walk, imagine this some sort of impulse you feel within you which makes you to behave just like a little boy by pushing and pulling, I mean literally, behave like you were a child; forgetting your age, image and whereabouts momentarily and enjoy you being just yourself. Same thing with your children irrespective of the age difference; we all do when we interact with children momentarily we have a chance to forget about the parameters that explained earlier and we tend to project our true nature in the excuse of playing with children, so, we assume to be little tender and childish. Don’t we?

To be honest with oneself, we all do know that after playing with children we feel very much relieved and light hearted. Have you ever felt that nature of yourself? If you say yes, then what is going on there. In the pursuit of chasing something in the materialistic world, seriously, we lose ourselves for the mask. The mask which we wear tend to grow proportionately as we grow bigger and bigger outwardly with different dimensionality by itself, without even waiting for our approval.

As we go with the flow of outward searching, ignoring the other part of ourselves which is being who you really are; what happens, as you near the completion of whatever the ambition or mission you had in your mind, at that point, you start feeling the pinch of the ignored being within, is empty. Then, we turn back and look within, there, we identify ourselves with a totally different person than what we are today. Whence we realize at the cost of losing our own selves, that we could have lived off differently at the end of our journey, it would be too late and left with a handful of days or none.

Ok, what happens, you, figured it out that you wanted to maximum live in your life without wearing those extensive masks no matter where you go and what do you do. Most of the time, you try being yourself. Assuming that you are fortunate to have a down to earth spouse who understands and values who you really are, not giving any external forces as to influence how you want to present yourself to the society. To lead such a life, I mean being who you wanted to be, takes a lot of courage initially, since you are presenting who you really are without the collective mask you see all around you.

In that scenario, you would be isolated or singled out from your large friends circle, since you may not meet and fall under their expectation criteria; like not holding a reputable job to satisfy others perceptual view, yet, where you might also feel least comfortable under that mask. Consequently, you may not live in a large home with an expensive car, or to put this way, you worth nothing but who you actually are. That is the prize you pay for willing to be who you are.

Because, the prize you pay to be happy and content with oneself might lead you to be simple and grounded or even will demand you to undertake a least desirable profession that the other people will frown about. The profession also the one you have chosen may not bring in so much wealth and outside reputations, though, the thing is to remember here, you are after your own room to grow and be in containment and be happy, isn't it? Therefore, the simplicity and containment are the two positive path to be on with your full understanding.

Top it up all, it is very hard to be living without the mask in the majority where everyone goes with the norm, yet, if you are ready to lose some of the usual comforts; such as a large pompous friend’s circle who is yet to go a long way to go grow internally, and breaking the fake images of yourself etc., will put you closer to your inner being and live for your own “self.” Rather than what the society demands you to be. If you are chanced to pick up a choice between those two, in a juncture, when you turn around and look your path which you have trodden thus far, you would feel that you have lived fully well all along with no regrets at all. That is the whole point of being who you are.

9 comments:

Priya said...

Life without an identity is like a fish out of water.
There are no norms for indentity to grab a place in the society. It itself is a commitment and responsibility towards ones self.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

I started actually wondering as to whether anyone is reading these articles at all.

//Life without an identity is like a fish out of water.//

if the above statement is true, then, do you believe Lord Budha was after an identity for losing himself to gain the Budha state?

//There are no norms for indentity to grab a place in the society. It itself is a commitment and responsibility towards ones self. //

yea, that makes a lot of sense, I remember reading somewhere, Budha desired wanting to renounce the desire :)

is it something like that...you meant?

Thanks anyway for making a visit here and leaving your comment. I believe, however, we view about an issue it is always great to leave feedbacks, so that, we can grow and think differently through another's dimension.

So thanks again!

Orani.

டிபிஆர்.ஜோசப் said...

Hi Orani!

Was it the real you which wrote this Post or the mask wearing person?

If it were the real you then you won't be sitting where you are now writing this Post. You would have been in Himalayas practising Sanyas!

In the pursuit of chasing something in the materialistic world, seriously, we lose ourselves for the mask.//

May be true.. but you have to wear a mask if you really to want to make a life worth mentioning in this life.. may be not for you but for the people whom you love, you live with..

Can we compare ourselves with Buddha or the Christ or even lesser mortals like Krishnamoorthy who preached against materialism but lived in huge palace of a house and flew by Jet!

You chose to live in this materialistic world.. It is true that you had no choice either.. But keep aside this kind of thoughts.. live like any other fellow human being without aspiring to be a saint.. do good to others, you will end being what you aim to be..

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Joseph sir, first of all I have to thank you for coming forward and placing your questions. Thank you!

Now let us go one at a time with your questions. Those answers are drawn, based on my own understanding and how I live with my own life.

//Was it the real you which wrote this Post or the mask wearing person?//

I believe, that IS real me! Because, I can not think or wonder if I have not had a chance to be there with that kind of awareness, otherwise. I am at ease where I am. Not fakeful to my true nature. To be there, I know, the price I paid is led go off the Veil.

//May be true.. but you have to wear a mask if you really to want to make a life worth mentioning in this life.. may be not for you but for the people whom you love, you live with..//

That is the where the real issue kicks in, I do believe like when we started believing that we have to wear a mask in order to worth mentioning, so all other external burdens climbs invisibly onto us. For that I am not telling to walk away from the responsibility or not being useful to ones society where he/she lives in. Here, we are talking about being truthful to one "self." That is all.

//Can we compare ourselves with Buddha or the Christ or even lesser mortals like Krishnamoorthy who preached against materialism but lived in huge palace of a house and flew by Jet!//

Simple understanding of mine for the above said statement is, we can be the one "if we do live our life, however, the self guide you to lead there."

My modern understanding about the 'Jet' issue is something like this sir; if we have some valuable information within and we are in need of sharing it with the humanity, we can not possibly reach the mass by being on the foot. So we have a choice there be on the foot or fly and reach even more.

//You chose to live in this materialistic world.. It is true that you had no choice either.. But keep aside this kind of thoughts.. live like any other fellow human being without aspiring to be a saint.. do good to others, you will end being what you aim to be..//

Whatever you said, that is what I do, I am very much here but living with a positive mask on. To be honest to oneself, not necessarily we should walk away from the world, following someone's dimension, I suppose. It is a self-experimentation which we do with our own self like our Mahatma Gandhi did.

If I have said something hurtful, please discard those. I am just placing my own perception. Please keep visiting and comment on my work. Thank you!

P.S: Don't worry I am not going to forest anymore, because, I already came from there!!

Anonymous said...

hi Orani, does that mask includes people who bring the regid princibles away from their work place back home too??

Is that one also count too? My dad brings in home that kind of environment where we can not even laugh out for a joke, whereas, in my friend's home I see totally different environment, more relaxed and open. I like it there.

Anyway, this is what, I thought as I go through reading your article. Thanks.

Arun.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

Hi Arun, thanks for stopping by.

//My dad brings in home that kind of environment where we can not even laugh out for a joke,//

There! you have learnt something for your own life. Keep looking.

Orani.

மா சிவகுமார் said...

Good posting Orani.

Some points. You do not lose anything by dropping the masks. The masks are burdens, even in the materialistic world they hinder rather than help.

We are led to believe that because of the mask we are successful. In fact, it is inspite of the masks we manage to lead our life.

Dropping the masks will lead to spectacular successes within and without.

Try shedding one by one. After all we interact with real human beings in the material world, not mere masked faces. Once we are off with our masks, we can look inside others and create true happiness for ourselves and others.

anbudan,

Ma Sivakumar

தருமி said...

thinking of masks, i personally feel that a person without mask has to be either a child, or a mad man or a sanyasin. we, the human beings as social animals cannot but put on different masks. can we be different? i dont think it is possible.
another sad thing - can we ever be true to OURSELVES? i doubt.
// Most of the time, you try being yourself. // can we be so...again i doubt.

இயற்கை நேசி|Oruni said...

SivaKumar,

I have to aggree with whatever you say, still, what the learnt one or people who lived their life (of life span I mean) might think, still we have to go a long way to face the reality of life.

That is the one reasons, why we have been talking like this.

//The masks are burdens, even in the materialistic world they hinder rather than help. //

//We are led to believe that because of the mask we are successful. In fact, it is inspite of the masks we manage to lead our life.//

//Dropping the masks will lead to spectacular successes within and without. //

As I said in my post, the price I paid to be with myself all the time is immense for people who stand outside watching me; even sound idiotic to them (impractical).

Though, I am not regretful how I am living with my life. The point is experimenting with my life(myself), is it possible to be being truthful to myself in all level of my worldy interaction?

Again, I have nothing to lose when I look within myself, except to the outside world.