Comments on: Masks Of Our Fathers

By: Thomasss

Thomasss — Tue, 20 May 2008 04:23:48 +0000

I agree with some of these comments but for the most part it just depends on who you believe deserves to see the real you. In that sense I wanted to be open to people at my job but they do not ever show themselves so in a way nor do I.

By: Ali

Ali — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:04:18 +0000

I tend to wear a veil instead of a mask. It’s not long til I just act like myself. I mean I’m very blunt about things. When you act like your true self even people you don’t know kind of admire your guts and you only figure it out when you talk to those people.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:21:45 +0000

Don’t wear the mask, if we all end up wearing the same mask then we’re all a bunch of clones and then what would be the point?
Wear the mask to hide yourself from the people you don’t want to be close to
Show who you really are to the people you care about, or else its just all a big lie.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:39:18 +0000

I think we all wear a mask, to protect ourselves. to take the mask off would be to reveal our weaknesses to those who wish to attack us.

The mask is our friend in that it is our shield, but we must be careful that we do not become the mask we wear. It is necessary to protect ourselves from some people but those who we wish to get closer to, we must remove the mask and let them see the real person who dwells beneath.

you just need to make sure you remove the mask at the right time, and hope they like what is underneath.

wonderfully insightful post Ben, do keep it up.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:54:28 +0000

I think you should show who you are. Well… partially. I mean if you aren’t being yourself (crazy or not) then how is someone going to truely know you. And if they don’t like the crazy parts then fuck them. I mean who wants to be around someone that doesn’t appreciate you for you? I mean hiding part of your personality I guess in a way is kinda vital in meeting someone. You want to leave things to talk about in the future. Just be you and you’ll find people that are like you too.

By: Thiefree

Thiefree — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:16:27 +0000

People who make no effort to hide their true nature don’t fit in. They’re the crazy people, the weird ones, the ones mothers pull their children away from as they walk down the street muttering to themselves.

We hide a lot of ourselves in order to function.

It’s only a trusted few who get to see who we really are. That’s tragic, if you don’t have anyone like that, and amazing if you do, because it makes it special. It gives rarity value.

We don’t know you, Ben, because you wear the mask. Otherwise why would there be any value in your real friendships and your loving family?

By: Rose

Rose — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:29:13 +0000

that was brilliantly written!

By: Wendy*

Wendy* — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:52:20 +0000

I’m a checker at Safeway, somehow I fell into the world of customer service. Despite that fact that I hate inane small talk and being subservient to people with more attitude than intelligence, I get my paycheck by pretending to care, when all I really want to do is hustle drunk Eddie and his six pack of tall boy PBR though my line( Back again, Ed? Should have gone for the 12 pack it’s on sale with your club card). But I digress. The masks we wear are a necessary evil to living in a funtioning society I think.My manners for instance, while at work are just peachy. I’m so nice and thoughtful, but inside I’m really not. Inside I’m telling them that the world would be better if perhaps their parents had ate their young instead of letting them thrive and procreate. So the “Yes, mam’s” and “Thank you’s” pay my bills, but they kill a tad bit of my soul everyday. I wear a mask, sometimes I wear so many, that I forget which is which, what secrets did I tell to whom? I sometimes forget and drama ensues. I hate the masks because they’re a way of selling out one’s self, but I wear them because I’m too lazy to get my shit straight I guess. To thine own self be true, right? Well I guess I’m working on that.

By: rockstarKrys

rockstarKrys — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:48:29 +0000

“We sculpt the mask we want people to see from the clay of our life experiences with the tools of our deductive reasoning.”

We really do only let people see so much of ourselves, what we want them to see to like us/not think we’re too odd or abnormal.
But how many people actually pay attention to how much of a mask you’re really putting up? Not many take the time to notice how big a difference there can be between the you they see at work/school every day and the you that types deep thought provoking blogs online.

By: Steelfox

Steelfox — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:32:07 +0000

Discard the mask let the true person into the fading light of the world, whether another person looks at your mask or the face beneath, they will judge.

A motto I’ve lived with since high school is simply this: This is me, if you don’t like it fuck off.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 06:10:57 +0000

I’ll have you know revealing all of your shit at once generally leads to people being very unwilling to be near you

however not hiding from things we shouldn’t have to hide from anyway is the most enlivening thing in the entire world.

naturally there are some situations [ie. interviews, public schools :P] where you shouldn’t expose everything.

i wish people were trustworthy enough to handle all the back stories the world had to offer at once.

but I’m convinced that would lead to the apocalypse.
which might not be that bad considering….

By: Joy

Joy — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:42:14 +0000

I remember you talking about dating and that you shouldn´t throw all your personality failures out in the open imediatley. I think that goes for anoyne you meet. You kinda have to test the person gradually to see if it´s gonna work or not.

By: Anthamarie

Anthamarie — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:23:58 +0000

This subject is something i’ve been thinking on for the past couple of months, and i have come to a conclusion.

In certain situations, i believe a veneer is in demand, such as an interview for a job, or where such good first impressions are required.

But i find it to be too much of a hassle to try to hide parts of myself from people who would be my friend, or possibly more. If someone can’t deal with me the way i am, then it’s not worth the effort. While i may not come forward with information from my past, or certain parts of my personality, i do not try to hide them, because i know they’ll just come out eventually anyways.

By: Ace

Ace — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:05:10 +0000

You know… that’s something that I’ve always wondered aobut myself. Personally, I try to keep my various masks that i’ve made in the past from strangulating the “unwanted” emotions or reactions from my face, but in all honesty,

It can be very difficult.

I’ve attempted (especially as of late) not to hide anything from anyone. Which can be REALLY hard when you go to an extremely conservative church.

Fuck, I’m rambling.

It’s as xnightskyx said, though. It’s better to reveal than to hide.

By: xnightskyx

xnightskyx — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:28:11 +0000

Is it better to reveal then to hide. We all have a past. It’s the fact that you have grown from it or not is what people tend to want to hide. When you are involve with a person and you are honest with them more things tend to go in ways for the best in the end. But we all hide in one way or another, we all keep things to ourselves. but things that are of significant should be revealed.

By: JOIYWTBJ

JOIYWTBJ — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:42:45 +0000

Keep the mask on, hide who you are, hide your past, hide what people aren’t ready for.
The world isn’t ready to know everyone’s dirty little secrets…I’d rather hide my true self and let people see it slowly, when they can handle it, than have them all experience everything at once.
Can you honestly say you’d benefit from telling the world about all your dirty little secrets?
If so, I dare you to post a blog exposing them, it would be quite interesting.
Though we would be better off being raised to behave, do well, and never do anything we’d have to hide…we’re only human. Hell, people like you wouldn’t exist if we were raised that way.

By: Kevin Brooks

Kevin Brooks — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:36:21 +0000

We all wear masks. Metaphorically speaking.

All I could think of reading the first paragraph was that line from The Mask.

I’m a big fan! Been following your work and vlogs for a long long time.

- Kevin Brooks