"Happy the man who never puts on a face, but receives every visitor with that countenance he has on.'' - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 "Happy the man who never puts on a face, but receives every visitor with that countenance he has on '' - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882). Journal, 28 July 1833

- One of the reasons I think that this is true, is because if you never have to put on a mask in front of a visitor, then you know that each person who visits your house, is one who has chosen to visit you because of who you really are, and not for who you pretend to be. We put on masks all the time, pretending to be calm, rational, emotional, logical, polite, a good child, husband, sister, student, poet, and so on and on. We tell stories to ourselves, and to others, about who we are and what we want. We try to direct and control ourselves, we try to do what we are supposed to, we try not to disappoint others or ourselves. We often fail at this, and then we put on another mask, or at least it is easy to put on another mask, pretending that we are OK, that we are happy, that we really care about this issue or that. We hide ourselves behind a mask of logic, or fear. Not all masks are evil, and not all masks are unneeded, but certainly the ideal would be not to have them. If we were strong enough, if the world was just enough, if ethics were more true to the human spirit, then perhaps we could live in such a place. 

For now, though, this seems to, most of the time, be out of our reach. We may, only occasionally, stop pretending. We can, only in safe places or at the end of our rope, really be who we are. I say this as if who we are was set in stone, but I suspect it is not. I suspect that we change, and that our 'real countenance' is only an approximation, only a single facet, of who we are. We are the world, and the world turns - but this is thought in the abstract, in the theoretical and the philosophical. In the practical world, perhaps this is good advice on how to live our lives, up to a certain extent. The quote says that the man is 'happy' who can follow its advice, but I am not entirely sure of that. Rather, you can be who you truly are, wear no falls mask, and still be deeply unhappy. The persons who attempt suicide, those who have lost a loved one, they can greet a visitor without a false guise, and yet still be miserable. So, I think that this quote simply suggests a certain prerequisite. Imagine that you were miserable and yet still had Ot put forth a happy face, pretend like everything was OK - is this not a despicable life, one where we fight ourselves, even as we fight the world? 

Putting on your real countenance, even just a little bit, is not an easy thing to do. The world is a dangerous place, full of hate, jealousy, and pity. Somewhere where people will hurt you for no reason at all. Yet, the world is also a place where we can hope to find compatriots, help, and transformation. Somewhere that we can be healed or re-forged. Perhaps this quote is best understood, not as a prerequisite, but as a sign - if you have to put on a mask before every single visitor, then there is something wrong. 

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