There is a story in the Bible about the creation of humans in the Garden of Eden, a perfect world. There, as the story goes, the first humans were created from ‘the dust of the earth’. They were perfect beings in body, mind, and spirit, unique individuals residing with God in that amazing place. But, when they disobeyed the one and only rule God gave them and ate the apple, to quote the book of Genesis, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”* Their action forced them to leave the Garden and go out into the Earth we know.

I am sure that covering up the most intimate physicality of their bodies represented a masking of their full selves, body, mind and spirit. And it included the corruption of those same elements as they left the Garden to face dangers and death. It’s like a beautiful, perfectly forged crystal vase covered with intricate etching. A perfect pitch sounds and there is a myriad of small cracks across every surface. It may maintain its original shape but it is completely broken.

The corruption resulted in diseases of body and mind, of souls becoming capable of great evil. Read the stories in the book of Genesis to see how far humans fell after they left Eden. They began to lie, cheat, manipulate, even kill each other. Feelings of fear, jealousy, anger, and lust soon emerged. And they quickly developed the protective masks needed to hide their inner selves from each other.

When a mask completely envelopes our whole persona, we can lose
connection to ourselves.

You don’t need to be a historian to understand the terrible play out of our corrupted human nature that continues to this day. You don’t need to be a psychologist to see how it plays out in each human – including ourselves. As we protect our bodies from harm, we also try to protect our minds and hearts. Our brains are built to scan for potential dangers. And, to use a Star Trek term, we have an instinctive “Shields up, Scottie!” when danger arises.  

Unfortunately, while internal shields can protect us, by their nature they obscure and separate us from others.  And when we feel threatened, our focus narrows and the protective shields draw in as we internally hunker down. Even understanding why we are reacting that way becomes foggy.

Here is an example. I know a person who I’ll call Simon** who presents himself as a helpful, chatty, fun-to-be-around type guy. And he is, offering to lend a hand while kidding around, ready with a quip or joke. Yet over time, it became clear to me that he was stuck in that persona, hiding behind the ‘fun guy’ mask. I tried a few times to engage in more meaningful conversations, about family or friendships or church life but he couldn’t go there. He would fall back to joking, brushing off serious discussions. I wanted to engage more of the man behind that fun persona, but he wouldn’t risk setting it aside. He was in a permanent ‘Shields up!’ mode.

Think back decades ago when you wore a Halloween costume that included a plastic mask you banded to your head. Remember how those small eye holes narrowed what you could see? It saddens me that Simon’s world is similarly narrowed by hidden fears and how much he is missing by not being able to connect with others on a deeper level.

Unfortunately, the need for those protective masks can be most evident in close relationships. They are a barrier to relational intimacy. Imagine a fictitious conversation between once-close Adam and Eve after they leave the Garden:

“Why’d you eat the damn apple?”
“Me? You chomped yours down like you were starving, which you can’t be!”
“Really? What’s that rumbling tummy I hear?”
“Well, bite me. It’s your fault.”

All the accusations are from an aggressive mask, guarding each of them from facing their own responsibility for eating the apples.

Have you ever considered what mask you wear when you are with others, what shields you raise? If you could stand outside yourself for a moment and see how you come across, you might be surprised. Some persona masks may be changeable and fluid, while others may grip so tightly that they can no longer be separated from the person behind it.

It is important to note that we all need a mask at times. Healthy self-protection is wise in a difficult relationship. Think of a rebellious teenager, a sharp-tongued co-worker or a changeable friend. We need the Star Trek ‘Shields up’ capability in those situations. But when a mask completely envelopes our whole persona, we can lose connection to ourselves.

There’s a verse I love in the bible which I think poetically captures this behavior.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I have been fully known.”

This speaks to the masks we wear that obscure what we see (outside) and what we know of ourselves (inside). It also speaks to the truth that we can move forward by recognizing the masks we wear and learn to set them aside and at some point, throw them away. Then we’ll be able to engage more authentically with our friends, family, and others without needing ‘Shields up!’.

* If you want a chuckle, search for images of Adam & Eve – the fig leaves are full
body covers!
** This is a compilation of several people I have known.