The masks of inscrutability, or are you really you?

[Formendacil]

The internet takes away the "masks" we wear in everyday life, eh?

But what if the everyday mask is the REAL self, and not the more ambiguous self-projected mask that is seen online?

For myself, the real-life Michael A. Joosten (variously known as Michael, Mike), is a bit of a lazy character, is a reader, is known for his dry humour, and his fondness for getting dressed up (be it in suit and tie or in sword and scabbard). People who know him well would tell you that these are parts of what makes him who he is, that he wouldn't be Michael without them.

But do they evidence themselves in Formendacil? Not fully. How many of the users here can see Formendacil swinging a wooden sword into air-orks (who might well be playing air-guitars), building LEGO castles, and having heated discussions on the validity of priestly celibacy? The last might seem compatible with his online self, but the others?

Who we are is not HIDDEN by the "masks" we wear, rather, we are DEFINED by our masks. Beneath our choices, looks, ideas, and values, we are all the same. These "masks" are what make us unique, what present us to the world as individuals worthy of each others' interest. Without them, the differences between us are nil. If our masks are different online and in "real" life that is perhaps because of a difference in perspective, and because online we are more able to "hide" our masks, to conceal ourselves, should we so desire it.