The Masks Of Life [Archive]

1st_Spirit

18-12-2003, 02:00 AM

Dear Friends,

Would you every asked how many masks do you have in your life? Have you ever been true to yourself? Are you the ONE yourself, or are you the ONE whom you are not. Where is your master masks you faceless people!? Enough white lies, enough sarcastic, enough is enough... You The Masks Maker, how many have you made for a day of your life? When would you stop....

Dear Recoms,
I need some ideas about "The Masks of Life", in fact I'm trying to write a story base on this title. Also I'm currently writting on this book "Who has stolen my time"...

I'll appreciate for any suggestions and Ideas, thanks :)

royston

18-12-2003, 09:38 AM

Hi 1st,

I have joined Recom so long, I don't expect someone will talk about "mask", not to say you guys are naive but it is really surprised me when I read this thread.

Before I stepped out from school, I had only 1 mask, which was my master mask. I did not know how to use mask, not even talked about making a mask for myself.

When I started my first job, the first year, I still had no mask. Slowly, I made my first mask but unfortunately I didn't know how to use it and I felt very uncomfortable putting it on all the time.

Now... I have more than 1 mask, use it depends on situation. When I reached home, facing my family, I take off all the masks, what a relief.

I am not sure is this the mask you mentioned, if I am wrong, please inform me so that I can delete away this thread.

Honestly, wearing a mask, you need to be very brave, putting all your pride away. I felt depress sometimes... but this is life. To achieve certain target, you need to be scolded, yelled, lectured and so on. When you did something correctly, you need to be humble, or even passing the credit to someone else, believe me, this is not easy.

~ roy ~

littlebigone

18-12-2003, 10:13 AM

I think you got the "mask" right. But i don't see how wearing a mask can need you to be brave. Unless we're thinking about different things.

I think that not wearing a mask is the thing that requires the most courage. We have to be able to be confident in ourselves and bare all our vulnerabilities to everyone. Every thought of ours has to be spoken out, even if it is against social or "normal" principles of everyday life.

I think however, that in this world we need masks. Without any, we would be too naive and everyone would take advantage of us. Or maybe i just don't have the courage yet.

soul_out

18-12-2003, 11:48 AM

1st Spirit: I personally think that people start to wear mask when they are betrayed, especially by someone who is really close to them. Hope this will help you in your story.

The day i started to have my own mask is the day i felt the pain of betrayed by someone whom i trusted, helped and cherished. I was speechless and i felt that the world is unfair. 1 chinese saying can describe the situation, "You treat him as buddy, whereas he treat you as bastard". Correct me if you have a better translation... :)

Always protect yourself by not telling 100% to everyone, as you might not know who will use your kindness to bring you down. Same as Roy, i felt that family is the best place to live your life without a mask.

P/S: I hope Recom too. :wink:

1st_Spirit

18-12-2003, 12:21 PM

Hey, I believed that I'm the master of masks,

I have masks towards every single individual... I was no longer myself and I was no longer the True One in my heart :( I wear mask when I faced my family, I wear mask when I speak to my classmates, I waer mask when I speak to my close friends, I wear mask when I'm dating with my girl friends, I wear mask when I'm doing Experiments(Of course)...My life is totally connected to the masks, I could make a mask in a split second, I would like to make people feel good about me... I'm not THE ONE, but there are MANY IN ONE, and I'm ONE with MANY...

You speak in different self when you're talking with different people, you're changing your characteristic, your language, your attitude or even your different name... You cover yourself with mask in order to cover your truth self... Tell me what's in the NUT SHELL, what me are you FACELESS? Tell me who you are....?

*Girl Friends = Included Ex-GirlFriends + Current

I'm really thankful for you guys contribute your idea and thoughts and feedback to this topic :)... It definately will help me to have a more varieties of emotional thoughts in the Stories

I hope I could publish it before the coming summer, or may be worst after the Summer break it should be done...

I needed more inspiration :) If this making Money, I'll belanja your guys :)

hahahah, I'm serious about this :)

Ishveir

18-12-2003, 12:48 PM

1st Spirit you are doing a great job
let me share something since i have written short stories which to my standards are long
revolving around both emotions and the human nature. To shine one has to glow first, just like that i learnt on how i develop firstly my characters in the plot and assign certain repeated styles to each of them.
Masks will guide you but not help you, as the story should not be a story to the author as he is the only one living it. So in other words your story should be your "mirror life" as you live in it so does the story which lives in you.
Well i will be glad to be part of your project - if you are willing to share it with me.
Let me know, and ill try awakening my long buried interest - I am just a beginner though :P

good luck!

1st_Spirit

18-12-2003, 01:38 PM

I have been doing a while on this Topic "How has stolen my Time" that it is about my stories how people around you've taken your time away, for example:

It's Friday night, and you've just finished your final. A friend of you ask you to go out for party but you were too tire to go and you need to rest and have a good sleep, but he convinced you to go along and have fun since you both finihsed the final examination.
Case 1: If you were to go along with him, you might end up overnight staying at Bar or someother places.
Case 2: If you not going, you might make your friend feeling bad and feeling angry about you.
In both cases, who has stolen you time? Does you friend taken your time away, or does the sleeping matter makes a different in your time management...
It's about a critical thinking for our time managment and the Beauty of skills to cheerish our time and memory...

I'm on the half way writing this, and I felt that I'm not good enough to talk about time management myself, and I'm not qualify enough to talk about TIME as a issues that I could bring it into life, tengible form and words...

Time in absract, intengible, but physically exist.

Time is one of the 3D element in our life, energy make up the time, your exam make up by time and even your wife make up by time...

It is something go beyond my capability of understanding and it's beyond my science foundation could do deep and talk about it... I needed to do more research on Enery-Time Theorem, Relativity, Time Relativity and some philo's references...

In the other hand, the topic "Mask of Life" would be a suitable idea to expand my thoughts not only in SCIENCE fiction but it would bring along my thoughts in the line of LIFE experiences as well...

I'm welcoming everyone and anyone who interested in my project, Magazine, Story Writting, Poetries, and photo taking as well... I'm always would like to join Chess competition in United States, and my Dream is to becom a GM...
GM Dennis Raing: 2400++ hahahaha(I must be dreaming now) Somebody wake me up :wink:

Schye

18-12-2003, 07:29 PM

*give a big slap on Dennis's face * :twisted:
Wake up!!

Masks...
I am not sure what kind of mask we are talking about here as the definition is so vague.

Sometimes, when you feel like shouting in the library,
When you feel you want to eat with hands in a western restaurant,
When you feel like punching your opponent in a soccer game,
You don?t do it.
So, are we wearing a mask or are we just following the rules?

When you heard some funny jokes in front of your juniors/professors, you feel like LOL but you don?t as you try to be cool.
When you want to argue with your girlfriend in front of your peers, you wait until others leave and talk about it later.
When you get full marks in an exam and feel like telling all your friends, you don?t because you don?t want to be misunderstood of showing off.
Are you wearing a mask or you respect others? Or you don?t want your image to be spoiled?

I believe that nearly everyone is wearing a mask when they are in public. Why? It's to protect ourselves from those who we have no trust in. Many people are wearing masks to protect themselves, to make others feel better or just don?t want the weaker part of themselves to be shown to others. I think it is one of the human nature.

But,
Is wearing a mask in the same category as lying?
Can we control when we act with or without mask?
...

royston

18-12-2003, 10:35 PM

Hi Seng Chye,

What you have mentioned is actually the beginning stage of applying masks.

Shouting in library, taking meal in restaurant, punching opponents in games, laugh in front of professors, etc. are just the examples of how you practise using a masks.

A good masks user, you will not know when he/she puts on a mask, changes a mask or even having more than 1 mask in a same time. You will feel that he/she is your good friend, sincere friendship and so on.

Most of the people I have met, including my supervisors, managers, may not be a good mask user. I have been lectured by 2 managers in a room, in front of >20 colleagues because they feel like throwing temper to me without a reason, both of them, one support another, I noticed that their face turned red. This is not a good mask user. What is the end of the lecturing? I keep quiet, pretending that I have lost the mouth-fight, I didn't step out the meeting room and stayed there until the meeting end. I went to find their manager and have a talk with him.

This approach might not be a good choice, but I have to do so. Finally our department was having a re-org and my group has been assigned under another manager.

Using a mask not asking you to "bodek", no doubt "bodek" is also one of the usage of wearing mask. After you wore your mask, no such thing as "right" or "wrong", just to get rid of certain thing that's all.

Facing your family members, you may choose to wear a mask or not, up to you but normally I choose not to wear. I wish to use my original look to face my parents, sisters and so on.

I do not know how to describe on mask using as I am still learning on how to use multiple masks in a same time.

~ roy ~

1st_Spirit

19-12-2003, 01:22 AM

Good Morning Everyone, Good Slap by Chye :cry: Sweet Dream You know :wink:

Mask of the Master Mask,

Give ourselves a chance to show who are we; Show them who are the One who lies deep within your heart...

As you guys mentioned above, its rather an emotional control, it's the battle betweeen your Ego and SuperEgo, Conscious and SubConscious Mind, Good self and Evil Self, Devine and Devil, etc...

You wear a mask to be another YOU, YOU that are not your true SELF, you pretended to be somebody you're not. For example, if you were a person who is straight fowards and stubborn but why would you soften down yourself when you're talking to your girlfriends and accepting all her words to be a GENTLEMEN as man ever existed... But why you throw all your emotional trash after you got her... At this point some of you might not agree upon the example, but I'm pretty sure that we BEHAVE extremly GOOD and MANNER in front of strangers, or in PUBLIC... Are you follow your heart or are you follow the RULES, Thread, or Regulations...

Do you do thing that you FEEL LIKE to do, or do you do things that you're SUPPOSE to do or do you do things that FEEL RIGHT to do...

When you FEEL LIKE = You're following your will, you own desire and your emotion.
When you Suppose = You're doing base on the situation, and doing the right things at the right time, where it's the time that THE MASKS come into play it's role that making you're not the ONE...
When you FEEL RIGHT = You'll response to the situation base on your personal experience, Morale, and principle, you would come to a conclusion into an events, a happening or a situation where you'll apply your reasoning, evaluation and detecting the problem. You'll come across with 2 choices for your action, Do or Do NOT.
For example:
In this senario, you friends are talking about a dirty jokes in the public, and there are many ladies around at that moment, would you join them? Would you FEEL LIKE to join them? Are you SUPPOSE to join them or are you SUPPOSE to go away and sit down alone to be cool, or Are you Suppose to STOP Them? You FEEL RIGHT to Stop them but you would make a shame on them.

At what situation you're wearing a mask in this senario, and there is no a definate Answer for this.

*This is not a good example I think cos I just woke up!!! BIG THANKS to Seng Chye :evil:

chenchow

19-12-2003, 01:26 PM

About the issue of mask, I think while ideally everyone will have no mask, and just the true self. The practical situation may not warrant that.

Personally, I would think that there should be certain things that must be your guiding principal of life. Something that you really believe in and while you may have additional masks to put on, you will always check and ensure that what you have done, do not betray your own principal.

So, sometimes, it is better to let go some opportunities, than to do something that is completely in contrast with your belief.

That's my 2 cents...

Chyi

19-12-2003, 05:53 PM

Well, I dont think using a mask is acting as another person, because your mind controls your act, and you know what you r doing. You are not like who you usually because you know that that is not suitable for that situation, so you are performing yourself in another way. You may not feel comfortable with that way, but that is the best way for that certain situation.

and do you think yourself different when you work and when you have fun. You may work seriously, fully concerntrate on your job. When you are in a party with your gang, you may have fun and act like a clown. Is that means that you are putting different masks?
I dont think so.

Sometimes we are doing thing that we dont feel we like to do but we have to do it because we know we can avoid sth we dont like it to happen from happening. So, we are still doing sth we wish.

and how about women making up? are they using a mask? I think that is a pleasure to express themselves in the way they like.

I think I am not using mask most of the time, a straight and honest person. & people like Royston may think that I m still naive. but I think that is the best way for me to get around, I believe that people will appreciate my sincerity. If you always think that you are using a mask, you will be very tired most of the time, and like what Seng Chye said, sometimes may feel like shouting in the library or want to eat your hands.

at least be honest to yourself. and the most important is, knowing what you really want, else you have no meaning using masks. and be happy.

maybe you cant get what I mean..

royston

19-12-2003, 08:03 PM

I think I am not using mask most of the time, a straight and honest person. & people like Royston may think that I m still naive. but I think that is the best way for me to get around, I believe that people will appreciate my sincerity. If you always think that you are using a mask, you will be very tired most of the time, and like what Seng Chye said, sometimes may feel like shouting in the library or want to eat your hands.

at least be honest to yourself. and the most important is, knowing what you really want, else you have no meaning using masks. and be happy.

maybe you cant get what I mean..

Hi Chyi,
I understand what you are trying to say. As I have mentioned in Seng Chye's reply, this is just the beginning. Everyone of us should have our own principle, that is the least thing we should have. Unfortunately, in certain time/age, you will find that... you need to use something to cover up being honest and sincere.

I am so sorry that the word "naive" I used, may be a little rude. I do not mean that I am working, so I will consider those who are still studying are naive, no no... I don't mean that. Time will make you confuse, have a lot of dilemma. In the school/college/Uni, there are a couple of rules to control each and everyone but outside here, no rule at all. People may tend to do whatever they like.

Putting on a mask is really a tough job to do, but most of the times, I have to cover myself with a mask. Walking around without a mask, is just like exposing your weak part to others, if you are lucky, people will appreciate your sincerity, else, you are just taking risk.

I don't expect people to understand what I am trying to say, even I have posted 3 replies in this forum. Anyway, you will understand why I said so soon... And I hope you will not take the word "naive" personally/seriously as I always respect others.

Thanks,
~ roy ~

soul_out

19-12-2003, 09:30 PM

Putting on a mask is really a tough job to do, but most of the times, I have to cover myself with a mask. Walking around without a mask, is just like exposing your weak part to others, if you are lucky, people will appreciate your sincerity, else, you are just taking risk.

I don't expect people to understand what I am trying to say, even I have posted 3 replies in this forum. Anyway, you will understand why I said so soon... And I hope you will not take the word "naive" personally/seriously as I always respect others.

I fully understand what you're trying to say.
I think usually people won't appreciate our sincerity even though you treat them sincerely. They might think that we're fake when we're sincere.

One more to add, do tell 70% of the truth, keep the other 30% to yourself. This is not ask you to lie, but to protect yourself.

1st_Spirit

20-12-2003, 06:31 AM

People don't speak who they are, they act what they are :)

1st of all, I would like to narrow down our discussion in 2 questions:

1stly, Why do we need to cover ourself with Masks...
2ndly, What would happen if we don't...

I hope this will help you guys to get deeper into this discussion, I'm runnig out of time, but I hope that I could write something about it real soon... perhaps tonight then :)

Thanks for the many feedbacks, your posting will be part of my credits and documentation :)

soul_out

21-12-2003, 07:08 AM

People don't speak who they are, they act what they are :)

Not 100% true. A succesful person in human relationship and interpersonal skills is usually a very good actor. They talk and act everything to suit the needs of their subject perfectly.

There's a saying in chinese, not a very good one... :lol: i.e. "When u c human,speak human language.When u c ghost,speak ghost language."

Ishveir

21-12-2003, 05:29 PM

1st sporot:

i guess you dint understand what i wrote in my post.
its ok but highly appreciate you reading it again and giving me a specific answer
thanks!

Thirdshifter

21-12-2003, 08:47 PM

mask? there's no mask! it's called Social engineering! Simply put.. we human do anything for survival, adaptation and we are solely drived by greed, be it for health, wealth, power or Spiritual.

For us there's no "enough is enough". We would do anything to accomplish our goal.. when we fail, We create one of this Mask, which is a social maneuver to hide a way the failure aspect of our life. Some kill them self some start new life. Back in the late 50s even FBI had legalized this.

Mask are needed to protect our sorry asses. Without it we're just a bunch of people on the same level. The term Dato', Tun or Tan Sri would not exist.

There would be no Prophet, Mesiah, Buddha or Guru. Ofcourse no Malaysian would exist either.

Human had come a long way with masking ourself.

Today we actually think all Chinese comes from china. Indians are from India. White people are from anywhere cold. Black are all Bad and Muslims are out there to kill all Americans.

A guy with a Suit is someone succesful. the list goes on.

So we under the pressure of society have to ofcourse wear a suit, buy an expensive car and hope that one day the sultan would give you the dato title.

Again.. if all failed.. you would most likely end up with a mask.. the kind of mask youths in Palestine wear when they go out to blow up some buses. Mask of desperation.

i have no closing for this.. so i take a small bow.

soul_out

22-12-2003, 02:55 AM

There would be no Prophet, Mesiah, Buddha or Guru. Ofcourse no Malaysian would exist either.

Why link Messiah(not Mesiah), Prophet, Buddha and Guru with Mask? I don't think it's appropriate. Do you really know the meaning of Messiah, Prophet, Buddha and Guru?

Messiah is the "Anointed one";Christ;the one the Jews expected to come to be their king;Christian believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

Prophet is an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God. The prophet among Muslims is Muhammad. <Adapted from Concise Oxford Dictionary>

Buddha is Siddartha Gautama(563-460BC),the founder of Buddhism(some call it religion,some say philosophy),who teaches that elimination of the self and earthly desires is the route to enlightenment.

Guru is a Hindu spiritual teacher;each of the ten first leaders of the Sikh religion;an influential teacher. Origin from Hindi and Punjabi,from Sanskrit means "weighty,grave",hence "elder,teacher".<Adapted from Concise Oxford Dictionary>

Personally, it annoyed me.

Thirdshifter

22-12-2003, 03:00 AM

The truth is, all of them are Humans just like you and me. I'm pretty sure all 4 i named wouldn't mind the humility it is to be human :)

soul_out

22-12-2003, 03:03 AM

Thirdshifter

22-12-2003, 03:24 AM

The truth is, all of them are Humans just like you and me. I'm pretty sure all 4 i named wouldn't mind the humility it is to be human :)

They are human, but i don't think they use mask, epecially the Messiah,Prophet and Buddha.

Let's not get of topic here. Anyway it's just an opinion. You know what they said about opinions,right? :)

Anyway Guru Nanak, is the founder of the Sikh Religion.

__earth

22-12-2003, 08:41 AM

i think it's just human culture. you can't be blunt every time. you need a sort of hypocrisy to win the world.
though hypocrisy is a bad word, nonetheless we couldn't live without them.
nothing to be ashamed of. but of course, if you have multiple personality disorder, that's something else :)

and i dont think there's anything to do w/ social engineering or religion. it's just culture and the ability to adapt to situations. remember, adaptation is the key to survival. ask the dinosours if you dont believe me.

qedx

22-12-2003, 08:51 AM

"i'd rather go extinct" would be a nice rejoinder to that :P

1st_Spirit

23-12-2003, 04:23 AM

Mask of all masks,

We were wearing mask since we were a kids, we always wanted to be a good boy so that we would earn our rewards from our parents, ie, a toy, a hug or a kiss.

When we went to primary school, we started to mix around with other kids, it when we started to learn to communicates and to socialize in a group. We started to behave in the way that everyone did, we wanted to be accecpted by peer, and even we started to immitate others in terms of the way to speak, to act and to think... "Since when you were to become someone else?"

Who are you? Do you ever ask this question to yourself? Who are you becoming now? Are you becoming someone, or becoming many other people?

Who are you think you are? (Post_Modernism)

Would you think that you're doing good when you're telling lies to people? Do you think that it's good to tell WHITE LIES? Aren't that mask wearing? Aren't that you're lying to him and yourself?

A good mask user is associated as a good actor? I would say yes, but it would be very tiring for someone to act to be decent and gentle, act to be good and kind, act to be honor and manner. Would you be tired if you're acting someone who you're not?

Why do we porclaimed that we are good? Why do we draw the line between good and bad?

There are people say that mask wearing is a skill of survival in order for you to struggle in this reckless world.

"Why would some people here would like to be intelectual sounds, why do some people here would like to be an expert of many?"(No offensive Meaning)

Next post will be "Truely Sounds"

Chyi

23-12-2003, 11:23 AM

I cant accept the saying that we started using to use a mask when we are still kids. a small kid who is innocent who tries to make their parents happy so that he will be happy as well. This is an expression of love. It is so pity to say an innocent child using a mask.

and why do you always think that people using mask? there are a lot of people who are sincere, though few but many people will be true to you if you are true.. and if you have a thinking that people around just acting, then you will start acting, then you will live in a mask world.

that's what I think.

taufiq

23-12-2003, 01:28 PM

in islam, we should act according to what our prophet teach
and what is written in the quran and authentic hadeeth
however, ignorant people exist anywhere

__earth

24-12-2003, 03:55 AM

i dont think wearing a mask and being an ignorant is the same thing.

1st_Spirit

24-12-2003, 04:07 AM

"Truely Sounds"

"Who do you think you are rightous? No name of men are rightous..." I don't want to go too religous sounds but truely sounds I meant to be :)

If you mean sincere, do you mean love? If you mean you true to people, at the same thing do you be rightous to yourself? How would you be so sure for sincerity and truely for my rightous friends. When you be sincere and true to people would you or would you not expect the same things from people? When you respect others, would you expect others to respect you at the same time?

Dear Chyi, do you wearing masks while you're writing about this topic? Do you think that there is still good in this world at least you think that you're the good? How could a candle in the wind againsts the waves of shadow?

Do you think people are good when they're educated? Do you think people sincere when you're true to them? Do you think they are true when you've sacrifice for them?

How would you survive when people around you turn their back to you? How would you live when people are not true and sincere to you? How would you still able to be good and rightous when no one trust you?

I believe in the true sounds of heart, the true voice from the deep of my heart, the true self liying deep within my heart... I speak how myself, I do what myself and I believe who myself.

I would like to thanks Chyi for who believes in the good of the world, for who believes there is still true, for who believes in rightous in the restless dark...

*Above statements are not provacation points to any individuals, it's merely my own personally stands...