Masks

Have you ever wondered how many people wear masks? No, I'm not talking about something your wear on Halloween or to a costume ball. I'm talking about a metaphorical mask, letting people see what you want them to see and hiding what we don't want the world to know. How many of us go about the day putting up the facade that everything is fine when really we're in misery? For example, that co-worker or classmate of yours that always has a funny joke or snappy one-liner. Is that person as light and care-free as they seem, or is that the perception they want you to have? Is that irritable, bitter person no one likes to be around really that nasty or do they act that way because they are too scared to get to know people and risk getting hurt? How well do we REALLY know the people in our lives? Do we REALLY want to know what they keep hidden behind their carefully-crafted persona? Would we be better off if we didn't hold things back, if we really were open books for everyone to read? Or is it better that some things are kept to ourselves?