STANDPOINTS

“There are two people in me. I would like to be Maria, but I have to live up to the expectations of Callas.” It is Maria Callas herself who, through her words, suggests the metaphor of the mask.

All the masks we wear allow us to protect our true Self from potential threats. Sometimes we have worn them for so long that they cling to our skin. We wonder whether this is truly who we are and whether the mask is part of our essence. The emergence of these questions reveals that our precious mask has kept us company for too long.

The masks that once protected us, when they no longer serve any purpose, become a means of distancing ourselves from our true desires and ideals, from our emotions. Despite this, we will try to use them again and again, even if the context has changed, even if the curtain has already fallen on that performance.

“There is a mask for the family, one for society, one for work. And when you are alone, there is nothing left.” — Luigi Pirandello