Masks. We all wear them. Sometimes, it’s to protect ourselves; sometimes it’s to fool others into thinking we are someone we aren’t; sometimes it’s due to fear of judgement and shame.
Personally, throughout my life I have worn a mask many times because I feared that if you really knew me, you couldn’t possibly love me. I felt like I was too much to handle.
Yet, as I have done a lot of work on myself, I’ve learned that I’m lovable just because I am, and I don’t need to buy into the negative thoughts and self-talk my mind is trying to sell me.
The holiday of Purim instructs people to get drunk (something I no longer can do), which allows them to see who they are without their masks as they show up as their real selves.
A person is really known in three circumstances: when they are intoxicated, when they are angry, and lastly, how they deal with money.
Under each of these circumstances, our inhibitions are lifted and true colors are shown.
I think the real reason for getting drunk on this holiday is to allow us to see where we really need to do the work, where we are really struggling, and to see ourselves without judgement. Take the shame away so that we may see how we can do the work without labeling ourselves.
This week, let’s try and see our shortcomings as challenges that we have to overcome, and not as a personal fault or defect in ourselves.
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