"When the eyes say one thing, and the tongue another, a practiced man
relies on the language of the first." Ralph Waldo Emerson
A non-verbal child watches and observes in order to determine safety in surroundings and understand how to navigate based on the sense of a projected mood. In childhood, many become emotional barometers in order to determine how to ensure safety. Decisions in behavior were based on perceptions.
These children, learning how to adapt to environment, learned to hide personal feelings for fear of reprimand. They learned how to wear masks just as pivotal people in their immediate surroundings did. It is called learned behavior. The masks indicate hidden feelings of not being enough or worthy, or valuable.
As adults, masks continue to be worn while desperately seeking healthy connection with others. Safety is a high priority where one imagines stepping out from hiding to simply 'be'. Unfortunately, we can never thoroughly embrace another human until we learn to embrace ourselves, just as we are ... imperfect.
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