Beneath my mask.

‘’I’ve never seen you without your mask on’’ were the words I received one evening from a juice vendor I casually visit whenever I feel parched. I slowly slid down my mask and passed a smile across my face then slid it back up after he got a good scan of my face. Like he would know my age, hobbies, and my background by just having a glance at the half of my face that remains covered 90 percent of the time. ‘’for those who don’t know me, I’ll lower my mask for a few seconds then put it back on’’ were the words of pastor Mburu on a Sunday at our Christian union service.

Covid-19 came along with regulations that we have to live with indefinitely. It has brought separation among us to a point where getting to see another’s face without their mask on makes us feel like we are getting to know the other better. Like we are connecting at a level that seems unfathomable. Like we are privileged to see their naked faces.

It has gotten to a point where seeing someone’s face determines how we will associate ourselves with the person. There is a contrast that is displayed between the upper and lower part of our faces. This is because for instance, once you see the eyes of a person, your mind immediately tries to form a complete picture of what the covered part looks like. That’s why whenever a person lowers their masks we tend to be surprised or disappointed because we didn’t expect the individual to look like that and this affects how we treat people to some extent. More than once have I heard people say, ‘’so and so looks better with a mask’’. We say this because their faces don’t match the mental images we had made of them. Would it be this way in the absence of masks?

I believe this is similar to when we have described a person or a place. We tend to imagine how the place looks like, the lighting, its infrastructure, and the journey to reach the place. With people, we tend to think about their height, weight, voice, and facial structure. We tend to do this unconsciously. Whenever I get a mental image correct, I feel like some psychic.

‘’if you want to see an endangered species, get up and look at the mirror’’ John Young.

Since March 13th 2020, our schools, markets, streets, and places of work are all decorated with a blue or black color. Its become a part of us. The masks represent a symbol of our bodies covering the unconscious part of our mind that carries our inherent characteristics. The masks have made us understand that human beings are more than meets the eye. Beneath our chunks of flesh and frames of bones lies personality traits that are unique in our various areas of socialization.

Are you aware of your uniqueness and significance to the world RAIRgem?