Masks

     There are people who patrol the streets, mostly at night.  They often wear disguises. 

     They are the RLSH, and they wear masks.  But guess what?  You do too.


     We all wear masks.  Everyone.  Different masks mean different things to different people.  Some wear a mask so they won't be identified for doing good.  Others wear one for the same purpose, but for avoiding incarceration.  While others still, to keep their identities secret for fear of retaliation.  Some people wear masks so they WILL be noticed.


     But is a mask always a piece of leather or plastic strapped to one's face?  No. 

    
     For some people, an expensive suit is their mask.  A way to show the world, "I am important.  Why else would I dress this way?"  Is he REALLY important?  Or does he realize that, by wearing his suit, people will view him as such because, 'Important people wear suits'?

     The same goes for the girl wearing name-brand EVERYTHING from head to toe.  She's telling the world "I'm a better person than you.  Look at me, I'm stylish and people LIKE me."  When she goes home, does she have any friends?  Maybe she puts out this image to hide the fact that she's a horrible, selfish person with NO friends.

     A man shows up in a relatively rural area for a family reunion.  Amid the old, beat-up pickup trucks and utilitarian Jeeps and older '80s and '90s sedans, he drives up in his new Porche 911 Carrera 4GTS.  This guy is showing how rich he is as compared to his less-well-off family.  Everyone is wearing jeans, t-shirts, caps with Case IH logos, and HE'S got on his polo shirt with a sweater tied around his neck, and khaki shorts with sandals.  A Porche.  May as well be a solid gold helmet.

     Some will wear vests with skulls and fire embroidered on the back.  With slogans and state names to proclaim their 'territory'.  Everyone who sees them riding their motorcycles will instantly know where they stand on certain issues.  Group affiliation is yet another mask, for the truth is, this man is a dentist with his own office and a family of four.  Or perhaps a lawyer or doctor.  How else could he afford a brand new bike?  Maybe he dresses like this because he is insecure and a self-loather and this image makes him feel tough.  Maybe he's a drug dealer.

     For some, their career is their mask.

     What better way to show everyone how much you support people's rights than to become a policeman and arrest those who violate those rights?  Or is she hiding behind a badge and a gun because in reality she's afraid; terrified of being a victim of the criminal element?

     What about the judge who's hearing your case?  An honest, fair man.  A man who believes in enforcing the laws and rights of humanity so much, he has taken up the mantle of justice itself.  He is the savior of society because he has the power to cast wrong-doers into prison forever.  But what does he do in his spare time?  How many DUIs has he used his name to avoid?  How much child porn will you find on HIS hard drive?




We're ALL hiding SOMETHING.  Everyone wears a mask of one kind or another.  What does YOUR mask hide?