In Recognition Of Our Masks

We enter this world with nothing, and we leave with nothing. What matters is what you do in between. It’s about the journey, and it’s all a gift, it’s all profit. Everything is in constant flux, so who we think we are at any point is just a mask. In truth, we’re existing in perpetual evolution; we aren’t the same as when we were 2 years old, or 12, or as the person we were last year. The mask evolves, but for some, they think that mask is now permanent and unchanging. This is where the ‘this is how I am, and this is how I’ve always done it’ mentality comes from. It takes courage to grow; to let go of your past, what people think of you, and of what society expects of you, and just be true to revealing what’s inside, your true self. Masks aren’t bad, as long as we realize we’re wearing them. When we dress up for Halloween, we don’t truly believe we are that character; we just play the role, and it’s fun.

We have the potential to be re-born at any moment on any day, to realize we are only actors in this life; the world is truly just our stage and it should be fun! The reason we have the tendency to take things SUPER SERIOUSLY is because we get so attached to our mask that we get hurt when someone insults it, but we also have the capacity to be light in this incarnation, to be ebullient and equanimous. We can just laugh it off, let ‘negative’ words or experiences slide right off our back, as we do when someone insults our Halloween costume. We have to recognize the mask/ego is only a part of us, and it likes to run the show, and it will unless you consciously step in and understand it for what it is. Confidence is not analogous to ego, because confidence pushes us forward, while ego holds us back. I am no master, and it’s a lifelong pursuit, but I’m on the path, and not taking things so personally is a great starting point. If you find yourself getting very defensive, put down your shield and smile. Will this issue matter in 300 years?! Then why stress it now? Why waste beautiful life energy on it now? The ego is just a part of your Self, not the whole thing. Think about a baby, completely egoless, unaware of him or her self. We all start there, egoless. No mask, just pooping our diapers freely without a care of what anyone thinks. As we grow to recognize what we are, we develop an ego, and just like the caterpillar’s cocoon, it’s our real life’s work to break out of that shell and be free as a butterfly. The ego is like dust in your eyes, you have to clear it to see.

What makes your heart happy? Right now, you can disregard your past and choose to alter your life for the better, to love more, to be more kind, to share more of yourself while you’re alive and the youngest you’ll ever be; And to truly share the deepest parts of yourself, you have to know yourself. You have to go into your inner gym, and recognize the fact that we have all been raised under very different circumstances, and what makes you think a certain way is truly 100% unique because it’s filtered through all of your past experiences, traumas, education, influences, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of our backgrounds, as long we recognize what they are, and that we can let all of the past go if we choose, so those things no longer have to define who we are Now in the present moment, the only place where we can act on our will. Key words here are: act, re-act, inter-act. Let the world be your stage, just like all your heroes have done. It is that anyways, even if you ‘act’ small, you’re still acting, playing a role. Ego says ‘I’m still pissed about ______,’ while love says ‘new moment, new me.’ Ego says ‘you versus me’, Love is the glue that says ‘we’. You don’t always have to be right, you don’t always have to have more, and you don’t always need to be in control. Take a breath. Life is beautiful, and people are amazing. Focus on courage instead of fear, and aspire to inspire before you expire. Your ego is not your amigo. Skip the ‘e’ and let it ‘go’.