Dear Editor,
Recently, I walked past someone I know without recognizing him. This was because he was wearing a mask. When I had gone past him by about three steps, he called my name and immediately I recognized who he was by the sound of his voice. This caused me to turn around and approach him. I apologized to him and explained that I did not recognize him because of the mask he was wearing.
Reflecting on that experience, I have come to realize that even without the COVID-19 pandemic, many persons have been wearing a mask or will wear a mask at some point in the future. These are in fact, virtual masks. The masks (face) that these persons exhibit or present to the world is a façade. Behind this façade of ‘I am okay or a smile’ is a person who is hungry, sick, depressed, abused, suicidal, sad, fearful, hurting, angry…
This mask is often misinterpreted by many because it is so cleverly worn, almost as a professional work of plastic surgery with the image being illusionary. So effective is the mask that after the ‘true’ person is revealed, e.g. after someone commits suicide, the parents and friends of the deceased ask themselves, ‘How did I miss this?’ Or they say, ‘I did not see this coming.’ Or, ‘I did not get a clue or a hint.’ Or, ‘I was fooled.’ May we see through the mask of these persons and extend a helping hand.
While the foregoing are by-and-large emotional in nature, it must not escape us that some persons deliberately ‘wear a mask’ with the intent to deceive, mislead, cause mischief, being duplicitous, unauthentic, in disguise, fake, attempting to appear innocent; filled with hate, malice, envy and even racism. These persons must be unmasked and exposed for who they really are, thus ridding our society of this social malady.
Be safe everyone. Observe the protocols for COVID-19. Wear a mask!!
Yours faithfully,
Bernel Wickham