The Mask

During our school days everyone must have seen The Mask. I enjoyed it, and definitely you people also, along with the primary protagonist of the series Stanley did enjoy. Stanley enjoyed because whatever he desired to get as a normal person he was unable to get it, but putting on the mask gave him limitless power and courage to chase his unfulfilled desires.

Are such Stanley’s found even in our real world? Let’s find out.

During my engineering days, I had a very good friend. He was from a very good family and during my 1^st two years in college, I knew he had the desire to be the cynosure of everyone’s eyes. But the problem was he didn’t know that in the process he forgot his true self.  

To rise above others he used his knowledge, ability, skills but he forgot to listen and see other’s reaction towards him. He created a shell in which he enclosed himself and with every achievement he got that shell thickened. After being elected, to be the secretary of his college event, he made a false projection of the world surrounding him, thinking himself to be above others. The situation worsened after he got the highest salary offer from college. Although he deserved the job, but the attitude did change and his friends called him an egoist after his placements.

I knew at heart he didn’t want that IT job, instead he preferred to stay at home and continue his father’s business. But, the aura he created around himself, forced him not to return to the world where he was made to act as per his parent’s orders, not given the liberty to enjoy life that others did, didn’t have many good friends (now everywhere he had friends who loved his salary slip), given more responsible tasks (he worked for 12 hours per day because that was his reputation) etc. These changes made our friend turn into a lifeless but one of the Best Employees of that Company for that year.

After two years when I saw that, he was choking his real life; I met him during one of the holidays and tried to bring him back where he truly belonged. So, we went on a bike ride to a ‘dhaba’ which used to be our favourite hangout spots during college days. After talking about our past life and friends for about an hour, he opened up and the first line he then said was, “I missed myself for last 4 years”. He confessed that he lost many good people, friends, and great times just because he tried to project himself as the best and be in the attention of everybody. He also accepted that he lost his ability to accept anything that didn’t fall in his line of thoughts, rejected good ideas, turned deaf and blind to the persons who truly loved him and in turn he now has everything that The Mask on his face demanded.

Sometimes our past failures are hard to accept which causes problems in future. When such a person achieves success he tries to erase those shortcomings from mind, in the process hurting others. The Mask of success, now this person puts on, unleashes the emotions controlled by the humiliating failure. The pride of success turns into ego and it becomes tough for the person to remove The Mask, even when he/she is in the vicinity of the most loved and trusted ones.

One of the ways The Mask can be removed is, if the person wearing it is able to find the person who cares for him/her the most and approach him. Knowing that his confidant will never break his trust he has to slowly reveal her past life and try to break the shell from inside and start the life that brings real mental peace and happiness. But the attempt to break The Mask has to be from inside because like an egg, if we from outside put pressure to break it, we will destroy the life inside the shell. But when the shell breaks from the pressure acting from inside, a beautiful and energetic life comes out.

The Mask helps us to achieve our dreams fast but if we keep our foot in the ground and respect others feelings, emotions, it will help us to enjoy the after party of success.

One can put on a helmet, drive fast and reach the destination early but going slow without a helmet will help you feel the wind, smell of the air that one will miss if he/she drives fast risking his/her life.