[nandm]

Day 2

Masks

"All human beings have gray little souls---and they all want to rouge them up." Maxim Gorky

The rootof the word "personality" is "persona." This is defined as "a character in a dramatic or literary work"---literally a mask for actors. In psychology, the definition of "persona" is, "The role we assume to display our conscious intentions to ourselves and others."

As we grew up we simply accepted the evaluations other people made of our character, and built a mental image of ourselves that wasn't necessarily accurate.

Over time we becae adept at wearing masks to project what others wanted to see. Because concealment, defense, deception and our need to adapt to our environment were necessary for our survival, these masks became our primary means of defense. As a result they're very difficult to give up. We're afraid if we take them off we'll become a cipher---a zero---in the eyes of others. We have hidden, protected, disguised our true selves. The very thought of mentally undressing under the scrutiny of anyone else is terrifying.

When we trust that those who are close to us wish for us the same ultimate good that we wish for them, we become less afraied and more self-disclosing. For the first time in a very long time, we're beginning to trust enough to risk dropping our masks.

Today's Step: I can take off my mask with perfect confidence.

Step by Step. Muriel Zink