04/29/2026: What Masks Do You Wear?

As humans, we learn to adapt fast. I just uprooted my life as I knew it only a month ago, and it already feels like I’ve always been here. It’s sad how quickly beloved things fade in our memory, no matter how fond we are of them. That’s also why I’m afraid of the power of the wrong kind of change. 

As the creatures of habit we are, we can’t help but be color-shifting chameleons in all situations. We wear masks for all kinds of people, for all manner of occasions. But the question remains: Are we still genuine at the end of day? Or are there lies and corruption behind some of those disguises? Do we all start off with good intentions before gradually forgetting who we truly are? Or do some of us have darkness inside us from the beginning?

Either way, I’m always afraid of faking it until I make it too well, terrified of losing my way while I play the game and keep up the charade. What if I actually change for the worse? What if I neglect the things that make me good and I slowly forget what truly matters, what my core values are? I know what I want, but I also know what I have to do in order to survive until I get there. 

If there were more opportunities that celebrated peoples’ commendable traits, maybe I wouldn’t be so torn on the subject. But that’s just how it is for the most part; it takes true dedication to find the good in the bad, which begs another question: Is it really that hard to be good? I guess it depends on who you talk to. But I think humanity is capable of great and horrible things. If we let ourselves, we can inspire and remain authentic. We can also sow darkness and dishonesty if we set our minds to it—not only in others, but also ourselves. So who are we really, beneath all those different masks? 

I still want to believe in the potential good in the world, in people; that’s why I try so hard to be good myself. But it’s not the easiest or most handsomely rewarded route at times. It is, however, the best one, if we choose to take it. When I can, I prefer to take the high road, but I’m also human. People and feelings get in the way of our best intentions daily, but it’s still up to us to never lose sight of the big picture, of who we really are in the midst of it. 

All I want is to not be changed for the bitter, or given a mask that turns me into someone I don’t even recognize. It’s normal to camouflage ourselves in a variety of scenarios, but we can’t let the dark sides of us consume our true selves.

For what’s it all worth if you lose you entirely?