Easiest Illusions

You see yourself, and there is something to prompt you to think. Everyone has something about themselves that they hate. If you give up after failing to change the trait, you just try to hide it. There is more than just the face of flesh that is recognized by others. There is more than the face of flesh to think about. We don’t just have the false faces of plastic or clay; we don’t just have clothes and style; we don’t have just the costumes that we always wore when we were children.
We have art and literature of all kinds to tell about their creators. Actors likely question themselves who they are. Comic book characters also play into the theme of masks and lies.

It seems that many good fiction books come from actual events in their writers’ lives. A good example of that would be the famous fictional spy James Bond. Ian Fleming, having written fourteen books of him, served in World War II and he was a traveller. That’s why his stories of the master spy are cultured. His experience in the war is how he was accurate with the ranks. The supporting characters are based on people he met.
Such is not the only case. J.K. Rowling built her own universe from her own experiences and her life. Being unhappy for much of her life was an influence of her books on The Boy Who Lived. She has a major plot point in one installment of her series that was created by her strive to get over depression. It’s actually the supporting character, Hermione, that’s based partially on her, another based on someone who gave Joanne and her sister a hard time. That also brings someone who spites the protagonist throughout the series, known as Draco Malfoy. It is probable that he is based on one to bully Joanne.
As for songs, they tell the attitude of their writers and composers. Even if the majority of songs in the metal and hard rock genre have vocals very hard to decipher, the melody and tone are what capture their listeners. They have in common with rap songs that they have either depressing or angry lyrics. If the majority of the artist’s songs have the same emotion, then that’s how the artist mostly feels. Same applies to poems sharing a theme.
This is also the case of drawings and paintings. There’s always a reason for the subject; there’s always a reason for the colours. The technique and the process say how the artist felt while making the piece. Every object and every animal represents a trait, as does each colour, along with the emotions.

Theatre was made a major part of our culture centuries ago. Over the eras, tolerance changed, given the times theatre was banned but then supported, and then the same thing happened again. One part of the Renaissance theatre is the masks. It sounds outrageous that only men could perform at the time. The movie “Stage Beauty” is based on the time in the era when women were allowed to perform. That movie seems to make a point that a man playing a woman for years, did such because he found it more artistic than portraying a man. Part of the artistic costume is also the mask. Along with much more, the plays in Renaissance Italy introduced masks. There’s a reason that these days a pair of masks, a happy mask and a sad one: they each represent the majority of plays, those being comedies and tragedies, as if a duality. No play follows both themes. Every character wore masks, except for two, the main characters referred to as the Lovers. It’s because they’re the most focused on and they traits aren’t as limited as the other diverse characters.
While we have Halloween these days, Renaissance Italy, preferably Venice, had a season every year for masquerades, a carnival. Pageants and contests were held over the festivals. Whilst it was a time to be artistic, it was also a time that others used to their advantage. The low class had a chance to be social with the high class without being judged. Anyone notorious could hide in plain sight and not be noticed by city guards. With the sense of anonymity, no one needed to worry what others said or did.
Furthermore, everyone has their own style in what they wear. It’s a fact that nudists always go naked, not just because it’s comfortable, but to “be themselves”. The rule of uniforms seems to forbid this. While wearing a school uniform does save time deciding what to wear, it seems a bore that everyone is dressed the same. Just talking about culture makes the point that people are meant to be various and diverse. The clothes that one wears, tells about the person. Just like the costume telling about the character.
Comic book characters are what play into the theme. Any superhero has a secret identity and only a few are trusted to keep it a secret from others. As much as the identity, the people around them are precious. Everything a superhero tries to protect. Spider-Man is the perfect example of this. The comic books show him becoming what he is during his teenage years. His uncle being killed by a criminal he chose not to stop, was what motivated him to become a vigilante. Having a secret identity also bodes a problem for him. He tries to deny his love for others he loved because he knows that they would be used against him and he would blame himself for their fates. This has been a factor as quite a few enemies learned about Peter Parker and Spider-Man and would pose a threat to both him and his loved ones. That’s why he plays a ruse and builds a wall.
Another example is Bruce Wayne, also called Batman. His comic book series has been going on since around the start of World War II. However, this takes time. Over years, he learns various martial arts, along with techniques and detective skills to become the greatest danger to any street punk. To normal people, he’s only a stuck-up wealthy playboy. He knows well how to act. Though he’s very serious and sounds like he has no sense of humour, he manages to depict himself as a pacifistic coward. He, too, has suffered losses over the years. He has put several people in danger. It seems that the most recent loss, that being in the New 52 series, is a concert pianist he dated. Shortly after letting her know who he really is, one of his lunatic enemies kidnaps her and she dies. That loss fills him with uncontrollable rage, but still he stands by his personal rule even after giving such a beating more brutal than others that he dealt. This kind of thing is a reason such a thing is kept a secret. It seems that the only people vigilantes in comic books can trust, are other fellow vigilantes.
There is one curious case about the character who calls himself Rorschach. What’s iconic about him is his make-shift mask. It’s made of a special black and white material that changes pattern with heat. His face looking like ink blots is the reason he calls himself Rorschach. He decided that it would be his true face. Perhaps this makeshift mask is to say how quickly one’s attitude can change. One second, he’s just pacing around town, the next he beats the life out of someone. His way of torture seems to be breaking bones with only his hands. He also always wears the same clothes. Based on his trench coat and fedora, which anyone wears to conceal their identity, he’s not as open as any others. His bio is only known by being told to a man he doesn’t like, and none of his partners know his gruesome past. Though no one knows who he is really is he still wears the mask.

One question that comes to mind is about actors. There’s no day when a film isn’t being shot somewhere. We still have stage performances, which seems to be a jumpstart for any actor’s career. There are actually many questions to ask any actor in the world. First one would be the reason. That varies, for everyone finds a different inspiration or motivation. Theatre seemed to really come from Africa, based on the rituals always held. Every ritual has some kind of music, along with accessories and dancing. Everyone is given a role. The case is the same for plays and movies.
It’s not just make-up and costumes that transform the performer. They also have a series of questions to answer in order to become the character they play, which can be quite overwhelming.
Not only actors transform themselves, but everyone does at one point in their lives, mainly in childhood and adolescence. Children are innocent and like to repeat what they see in cartoons, movies, and comic books. All children like to dress up. The next kind of change is in adolescence. Every teenager has the struggle to find themselves, and these are the words of someone with experience. It’s cliché now that girls play dumb just to get that hot guy to notice her. Men’s egos prompt them to ignore the smart girls or athletic girls. All the nerds are expected to be with nerds. All the jocks are expected to be with jocks. This has been portrayed for too long in the media, but it does make a point. Those young people pretend to be someone they’re not, without caring, just to be liked. Yours truly reached a point of thinking, “I don’t know who I am anymore.” Anyone is likely to think that. It’s too much of a vicious cycle from a voice saying, “Just be yourself” and another voice saying, “They won’t like the real me.”
Even more, for decades—for centuries—people have been opposed to homosexuality. That’s why those people being different in that way are ridiculed. Because of this, the trait is kept a secret. It was intolerable. It’s been assumed that Leonardo da Vinci was gay, and maybe Shakespeare. Sounds outrageous, but of course, it hasn’t been confirmed. Many other celebrities have announced having the trait, and they don’t care if they got shunned. All the gays made their choices, and are people like all of us. If they’re happy the way they are, that should be all that matters. Think of other possible traits that were kept secret or made something for others to be ashamed of. Others are bullied for how they look or for something that they have. There are many disorders to name that cause some kind of disability. There’s no point in mocking someone for being near paralytic, for looking somewhat disfigured, for being quiet all the time, for being fat, or for just needing glasses to see properly. One can’t be told who they can’t be, let alone someone they’re not.
There is another thing: the people running the world. All the men and women in uniforms that you see every day, they follow orders. The problem: how can one know when following instincts after following orders for so long? The uniforms are used as a symbol for order in the wearers’ environments. When under the orders of someone wanting more, blind loyalty proves to be dangerous and one can lose track of what’s right. So, when looking around and seeing someone in a uniform or with a badge, who can be trusted? This point is made by the last time Russia was under the rule of a Czar. People riot over a bread shortage. Something small is turned into a big deal. The point is that at one point, when attacking rioters, one soldier asks, “What about our families?” Unfortunately, things become worse when the rebellion exiling the Czar results in tyranny of another man.
Having a change of heart is one thing. What follows is the real question. One can try to make the world revolve around them, but would that person still like the way the world is?

Remember to find where the line between truth and lies is. The difficulty is whether you want to be honest or deceitful. It’s your choice to make. Don’t make someone choose for you. It’s like flipping a coin. There will be consequences, which can’t be changed. You can change yourself with a costume or just a mask. Anyone could be wearing a metaphorical mask and even an expert actor still would be unable to determine who that is. If you really want to know, think about whether you’ve been lying to yourself. Imagination is where anyone can escape, and we can only wish that to be reality. It’s easier that way. What is your choice?