Faceless

There is a reason why the priest cannot see the people who visit the confession booth. Anonymity. They have divided the sin from themselves and want to cast it off. Naturally they don’t want anyone to know that it was once attached to them. And so the confessions can only be uttered from behind a veil. That is understandable.

But what about when it’s just a thought or feeling? An opinion. Not wrong or condemnable, but perhaps a little ‘out there’. Maybe it opposes the standard opinion; goes against the norm. Or maybe you’re just unsure about how it would be received. You know that you want that particular opinion aired; you just don’t want to be the one to do it. If you did, it would be attached to you. People would know a part of your thoughts, your mind. And you don’t want them to, in case they don’t look on the new knowledge with favour. In case they judge you.

Well, what is so bad about being judged? Yes, it might be bad. But it could be good, too. Surely either is better than silence for indifference’s sake. 

It’s easier to lie than tell the truth; at least in that moment when you must speak one way or the other. If you are an adapt liar your words will be believed.  The lie might not even be better than the truth. Its meaning will still be attributed to you. But you know that it’s not attached to you. You’re safe behind it.

And so I come to blogs.  Are we faceless here? Sure, I have a picture or two. But a face is so much more than what a photo captures.  I think blogs have a beautiful duality. I don’t feel entirely faceless here, just safe enough to be free.

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” Oscar Wilde