Leaving the workplace, I can finally tear off this mask that I have worn for many years with my own hands. At that moment, it seemed as if even breathing became light.
This does not mean that we should run naked without reservation in the workplace, nor does it mean that we should completely deny the necessity of "professional masks". To some extent, it might be a profession, a boundary, or a collaborative etiquette. But when such a mask is no longer a choice but becomes some kind of default survival rule; When you have to wear it and constantly polish and carefully decorate it, it is no longer a tool but a shackle.
The current social rules seem to tacitly accept this: you need to tone down your sharpness, you need to be silent at the right time, and you need to show an impeccable smile at the appropriate moment. So we gradually got used to presenting ourselves as "pollution-free" individuals, not intense or glaring, like a cup of water at just the right temperature. We put on smiles, we give in and compromise. In each time we hesitate to speak, we gradually blur the true outline of ourselves.
Take off that mask, and you no longer need to rack your brains over an inadvertent expression, nor do you have to draft a sincere word in advance. That kind of relief is not a brief respite after work on the weekend, but a complete liberation that Wells up from the depths of the spirit.
It's just like a child who always holds a "lollipop" - the candy is sweet and safe, representing obedience and satisfaction in the eyes of others. But deep down you know that what you truly long for is to stand on tiptoe and pick the fruit on the tree that might be taller but truly belongs to you. So you put down the sugar and stretch out your hands, even though the process of reaching out is full of shaking and risks.
You might fall down, fail and be seen in a sorry state. You strive to move forward, but you may never reach the fruit you have been expecting. But so what? At least you are trying to be your true self. You have touched the wind, felt the warmth of the sun, and in every leap, you hear your own clear heartbeat.
But if you do succeed, even if you only pick a tiny and imperfect fruit, you will bid farewell to that mask forever. You don't need it anymore. Because you have proved that the true self can still stand and still savor the true sweetness of life.
This is not rebellion but a return. Return to a life attitude that is true to your heart. Rough and imperfect, yet truly yours is the life that belongs to you.
