Clowns
P R E L U D E
Everybody wears a mask. It is inevitable, it is unavoidable, it is human nature. Be it elaborate, simple, gorgeous, or ugly, the masks are all around us. You can't see it with your naked eye, but it is there. All these people you call your family, friends, foes – they are nothing more than performers, clowns, hiding away their true self. They wear these masks, cower behind it. And you wear one too.
It is fear. Fear drives us to extremes. It drives us to bury secrets, but like paint slathered over fresh blood on walls, it only conceals it, it doesn't eliminate the fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the known, we hide fear beneath the mask. But there is only so much you can hide, only so much until you hit your detriment. And when it does, there's no knowing what will happen. There's no knowing what will unravel.
They say fear is natural, and so we fear the little things, the trivial things like spiders, snakes, heights. What one really should fear, is fear itself. Because what we think is fear isn't real. What we know as fear is just disapproval of something to the point that is discomforting, unnerving. True fear is wild. It's uncontrollable.
Behind all of this, behind this façade of untruths – is a face. You may never see it, but it is there. It is pure and vulnerable, and prone to viruses, diseases, damage. So if you ever encounter one's true face, treat it with all that you have, it is delicate. For an opportunity like this may never arise again. Trust me, for I have seen a face, a true face. And I am afraid that nobody will ever see it again.
It is fear. Fear drives us to extremes. It drives us to bury secrets, but like paint slathered over fresh blood on walls, it only conceals it, it doesn't eliminate the fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the known, we hide fear beneath the mask. But there is only so much you can hide, only so much until you hit your detriment. And when it does, there's no knowing what will happen. There's no knowing what will unravel.
They say fear is natural, and so we fear the little things, the trivial things like spiders, snakes, heights. What one really should fear, is fear itself. Because what we think is fear isn't real. What we know as fear is just disapproval of something to the point that is discomforting, unnerving. True fear is wild. It's uncontrollable.
Behind all of this, behind this façade of untruths – is a face. You may never see it, but it is there. It is pure and vulnerable, and prone to viruses, diseases, damage. So if you ever encounter one's true face, treat it with all that you have, it is delicate. For an opportunity like this may never arise again. Trust me, for I have seen a face, a true face. And I am afraid that nobody will ever see it again.
♠ ♠ ♠
Inspired by The Night Circus. I appreciate comments.