Welcome to the Masquerade Parade. On the one hand, it is really fascinating to see the variety of designer masks, humorous masks, masks that support charities and masks that make a statement for rights and causes. And on the other hand, it feels somewhat sad to see kids needing to wear superhero or animal masks every day, instead of just on Halloween.
If we were wearing masks to a Halloween party, we would think how fun and mysterious. But because we feel forced, either from society or by our own urgings, it doesn’t seem like so much fun. We have long depended on full facial expressions to tell us how others feel or react to us. Now that our mouths are hidden, we have to communicate with sometimes muffled words or hand signals. And, I find myself raising my voice to be understood – which sometimes feels like yelling.
We are now being forced to look each other in the eye, to see emotional expressions. You can tell when someone’s eyes are smiling, if you look closely. However, I have noticed this odd phenomenon. A lot of people avoid eye contact while being masked. My theory is that prior to this masked experience, we generally just scanned facial features. So, it looked like we were looking them in the eyes, but we never really did. It is said that the eyes are the true windows of the soul which is why we may be feeling more vulnerable. When we notice that someone is looking at us, our first response is to look away.
Centered Action:
We are finding ways to trust again in this new world. Eye contact gives us emotional exchanges about our shared experience. It’s a non-verbal communication that says I understand what you are going through because I am feeling the same way too. We are gradually letting go of the discomfort of seeing others’ eye expressions – and letting them see ours. We can comfort each other with just a look. We are all in this together.