Right from our childhood
we learn the art of masking
our vulnerabilities.
More
than being taught, it is a
learnt technique through
observation and imitation.
ROSHAN LOBO OFM
"The human face is, after all, nothing more nor less than a mask," writes Agatha Christie.
How anonymous we look when walking around the streets these days! Whenever we encounter people, it has become very hard to identify them because of the mask
people are forced to wear, thanks to Covid-19. After our names, our face is considered the hallmark of our identity. To be faceless is to be without an identity.
That is why at times it is difficult to know who someone is since they cover their faces.
I feel I suffer from Anomic aphasia i.e. the problem of recalling words, names, and numbers. However, in my case it is specifically the names of people.
Whenever someone asks me, "Do you know so and so?" I just tell them I might be able to identify them if I see their face, but merely by recalling names certainly not. I am more comfortable with identifying people by looking at their faces than remembering their names.
Face mask has an advantage as well as disadvantage. In Bangalore, I have seen pillion riders covering faces to protect from the menace of smoke and dust. It is good
because it is done in view of protecting one's health. Many people like terrorists and burglars who carry out illegal activities very often try to cover their faces using masks in order to conceal their identity. They do so for the fear of being caught by police or any other legal authorities. Such a purpose does not serve any good at all.
At present we are advised to protect ourselves from the danger of Covid-19 by having recourse to precautionary measures. One such measure is the use of face mask in order to protect ourselves from the danger of either transmitting or becoming recipient of Covid. Encountering people wearing face mask since the beginning of lockdown made me think about the significance of face mask.
The visible face mask acts as a potential shield to prevent from the danger of falling ill. Wearing it is truly beneficial in the current scenario. When I wear a face mask it is visible to others. But there is also an invisible mask. We often use that invisible mask to shield our vulnerabilities. In contrast to a face mask which is visible, this isn't visible. In the field of psychology, this masking strategy has been described as the ability in an individual to change one's natural personality to conform to social pressures, abuse, and harassment.
Right from our childhood we learn the art of masking our vulnerabilities. More than being taught, it is a learnt technique through observation and imitation. In some circumstances, expressing our vulnerability and weakness can result in placing ourselves in an awkward situation. It is then this art of concealing our true identity helps in our survival. Our face is a vehicle of expressions. By masking our face in an invisible way we try to conceal our expressions. What is not expressed in words can be known by observing the expressions on our face. By masking I try to show that I am not what I truly am.
The purpose of using a visible or invisible mask is basically to protect ourselves from someone or something. The option of choosing to wear or not to wear a visible mask is left to us. But many a times without our knowing or even against our liking we are compelled to use invisible mask in real life to make ourselves assertive and protective.
In these times of uncertainty when we are fearful of contracting the virus, face mask acts as a shield against the threat from this visible enemy. In a culture of survival of the fittest, learning to protect ourselves from the threat of the invisible enemy i.e. our own insecurity, fear, anxiety and concerns of life also becomes important. Masking our natural personality to conform ourselves to the pattern set by others is not always bad as at times it is necessary, and we are left with no option. If we fail to protect ourselves from the visible and invisible enemies they can become a threat. A virus might affect our bodily health, whereas fear, anxiety and social pressure might affect our mental health. In either case, wearing a visible or invisible mask has its advantages.
In the past, wearing a face mask may not have been a real necessity, but in the current times, as we learn to live with the danger of Covid-19 in our midst, we
need to learn to adopt the culture of using a mask. Whether in a real world or in the world of our insecurities, a mask certainly plays a vital role.∎
