The Masks We Wear

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I can no longer distinguish between so many faces. Every face in the hallway appears to be joyful, but are they truly? I wonder whether the smiles and laughter on everyone's faces are masks worn to hide their true selves from view as I pass by. Then I quickly realized that they were masking who they really were since, as high school students, we are all afraid to be ourselves.

Any high school student will eventually think these things. Thoughts like "Am I good enough or pretty enough" occupy our brains, leading us to hide our genuine selves from the high school environment and put on masks we hope people would appreciate in order to win their approval.

The entire school then starts to act and appear the same; there is no originality left. We quickly grow up and yearn to blend in because, if you don't, you're nobody. Younger boys and girls are beginning to create their own masks in order to fit in, even in this day and age of social media. The modern world is teaching us that if you're not like this, nobody will want to spend time with you.

When we take off these masks, we will face our insecurities and flaws about ourselves and learn to love ourselves for who we are—not for who we were trying to be. The younger and longer we wear these masks, the more we lose touch with who we are. Those you think of as friends will abandon you at any time, so embrace who you really are and accept yourself for who you are. However, true friends will support you no matter what happens if you are true to yourself. Remove the mask to reveal who you really are. The people in the world will surprise you, as will the incredible things you have been missing out on.