The mask

There was a movie in the early part of the millennium entitled “The Mask,” starring Jim Carrey. It was about a born loser who finds a mystical mask which, when he wears it, transforms him into a super human being, giving him powers beyond his imagination. It was in wearing the mask that he becomes a winner. Though he gave it up in the end, he gained confidence and a better life because of the mask.
Should we not gain our own confidence and enjoy a better life by wearing our own masks properly?
Masks are not really new to all of us. In fact, it had always been a part of our childhood fantasies to wear one, if only to imitate our heroes.
There is Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Spiderman, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, and a slew of several other heroes whom we have learned to love and idolize. All of them wear a mask for a reason.
They wore a mask not specifically to conceal their identities, but more to protect their neighbors and their loved ones against real dangers had their identities been known. Thus, regardless of the situation they were in or where they were, they made it a point to wear a mask before they endeavored to discharge their heroic duties. And we love them for their masks.
Let us be like our heroes. Batman will not be Batman if he does not wear a mask. So, with Iron Man, Spiderman, etc. During these most trying moments, there is a hero in all of us. Let’s turn our childhood fantasies into a reality by wearing our masks. It is the most heroic thing to do in order to protect our neighbors and our loved ones.
True, there are heroes who do not wear masks like Superman, Aquaman, Thor, Wonder Woman, and the Hulk, just to name a few. However, this breed of superheroes does not really have to wear a mask because of their circumstances. They are exempted, so to speak.
Superman is a Kryptonian, Aquaman is an Atlantean who does not have lungs, Thor is a demi-god, Wonder Woman is an amazon whose world is isolated and quarantined, and the Hulk is not really a superhero but a super monster. These heroes who do not wear masks are not humans who need to breathe the air in order to survive.
Not for us. We need air. We cannot claim an exemption because we are earthlings from this planet intermingling with one another. Our lungs can only inhale so much of the air that is free from the coronavirus. Lest we die. To breathe freely, we must wear the mask. It is for our survival and for our safety and for our own good.
One might argue that it is not only heroes who wear masks. Villains like the Joker, the Riddler, Doomsday, and Lex Luthor also wear masks. However, they wear their masks for the wrong reasons. It is to conceal the despicable acts that they perpetuate. They wear their masks out of embarrassment than for anything else, much like a criminal who lurks in the dark so that his identity will not be known. In the end, they are almost always unmasked because, well, they are villains and not heroes.
Surely, we do not want to be villains. We do not want to be unmasked and be branded as the anti-thesis of our heroes. We want to be the heroes and we want to wear our masks for the right reason. The right reason is to be safe.
So, you see, there is justice and wisdom in wearing our masks. Wearing a mask makes the world a safer place to live in. It gives us the confidence that we can interact and the assurance that we are healthy. Not that we can become Batman, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Spiderman or the Flash. These characters change the world only in our fantasies and imagination. Not for us. By wearing a mask, we can become a greater hero than our childhood comic book superheroes. We can make a real change.
What are you waiting for? Wear your mask.