Nothing Earth-Shattering About Masks

I feel like the first post should be something spectacular, insightful, and earth-shattering.
However
If that were the case, then nothing would ever get posted and thus this blog would be worthless.

So
I'm just gonna jump into it with something that I was thinking about (and that Jamella and I were actually talking about a little).

I hate it that we all have this "mold" that we're expected to fit--specific "masks" that we are supposed to wear: for our parents, for our friends, in the church, in front of strangers. And, as a mask is supposed to do, they hide who you really are. And that frustrates me. I feel like I'm being shoved into a mold that I don't fit into, both by pressure from others and self imposed pressure to be who I think they want me to be. But does anyone really care? Am I forcing myself into a mold under false pretenses?

I do think to a certain extent that people have these paradigms set up in their heads and certain people are supposed to be certain things. And while you may not consciously think about it, you definitely do notice if someone steps outside of that paradigm.

I guess the majority of this is my own doing and my own fault--caring too much what others think. But I DO care and I'm not brave enough to shatter the norms (nor do I want to).

Another reason we hide is that we don't want to be vulnerable. But at the same time, if we never connect to others, what's the point in living with and among people? It's such a fine line of opening yourself up without being clingy, of being real but not comfortable in this feeling of vulnerability.

So where does that leave us? Wearing masks that don't fit of characters we aren't (or aren't fully or aren't anymore), wanting desperately to connect but not being able to open that door.

-D*sire-