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The theme of this contest seems particularly interesting to me because I touched on it partially in two posts: my "introduction post" and my post "The Price of Pretending You're Okay." However, now I'd like to address another aspect of the masks we wear every day: why do we need masks? Why do we create masks to hide who we are? On social media, hiding your face, your name, and your appearance gives you the freedom to say things you can't say in your daily life, because the people around you don't understand you, don't respect your worldview, or because it could harm you professionally. Hiding behind an alias to express what bothers you can be a kind of purging of the poison you consume daily in repressive, abusive, intolerant, or discriminatory environments.

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Some people might find it strange that anonymity gives them more freedom than showing themselves publicly as they truly are. But we must consider the context. For example, if you're being exploited to the point of exhaustion at a company and you depend on that job, you can't say so openly without risking losing your only source of income. And some might say that you can get another job if you don't like the one you have, but finding employment isn't so easy after a certain age, since many companies prefer to hire younger people with more technical knowledge rather than a veteran, which makes it difficult to secure a stable source of income. And I say this from personal experience, since I lost my job three months ago; starting over is anything but easy. On the other hand, the very social dynamics we live in make it necessary for us to wear masks to avoid conflict. It's difficult, for example, to tell a partner or a friend who's going through a problem that you're also struggling and that you can't help them without sacrificing your own needs. Or to tell a mother or father that you're exhausted from being burdened with their problems and their complete lack of interest in yours.

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We wear masks because there's a sad reality that people value our lies more than our truths. Because sometimes our truths are uncomfortable, unpleasant, ugly, and transgressive. And people prefer to live in a fake rainbow world where everything is fine, rather than accept that their home, their family, their friendships, or their job are slowly crumbling due to a long list of unresolved issues. We wear masks and lie because the truth hurts, it's ugly, and not everyone can accept it. However, if you have the courage to speak it, you must be prepared for everything: from rejection and loneliness to the possibility that the relationship might transform into something more real. Not everyone is capable of facing that uncertainty, but it's the price you pay for stopping the pretense and starting to live as the truly imperfect people you are. Note 1. This post was translated from Spanish to English using Google Translate. Note 2. The images used in this post were generated by Chatgpt AI. Posted Using [INLEO](https://inleo.io/@jlat1412/the-masks-of-everyday-life-egp)

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