R. L. Stine wrote a Goosebumps story called “The Haunted Mask.” It’s about a girl, Carley Beth, who buys a Halloween mask. When she puts the mask on, she can’t take it off and she starts to assume an evil personality going from a timid scaredy cat to a powerful unapologetic monster. It’s an interesting metaphor for our times.
We all wear masks and assume the persona we want to present. Sometimes the lie we create for others becomes the lie of the mind and creates more problems.
We all lie to ourselves at some point in our lives. I would submit that in some cases it’s habitual. We tell ourselves things we need in order to survive. We learn in childhood not to hedge our bets, and our animal inclinations that we acquire in the socialization process on the playground stay with us. Some act coy so as to not reveal their true intentions – not let the other guy get the upper hand. You have an unhealthy diet and overcompensate with insidious acts of lies and indecency and get fat on dominance. This act becomes a part of our makeup. We create an image daily to protect ourselves.
We wear masks for any given situation. Want someone to go away? Tell them what they want to hear to make them disappear faster. Want someone to love you? Play the game of cat and mouse. Want to sell someone so you can make a lot of money? Give them the pitch and take what they give you, so you can buy what you think will fill the void. But it’s all part of the lie.
We become the lies we tell ourselves until everything unravels and we’re forced to be alone with ourselves. Then when we look ourselves in the mirror and face the truth about who we are, we hate what we see. Sometimes this doesn’t happen until people are ready to die. That’s when the true confessions about the lies come out. I’ve seen it in death bed confessions. You see people facing themselves maybe for the first time in their lives and they’re horrified by what they’ve become because of the lies they’ve told themselves. They wonder if they’re going to hell because of it.
People have come to believe all politicians lie, so they accept that they’re being lied to. Roy Cohn, the former lawyer for Trump, said, “Tell a lie enough and people begin to believe it.” Cohn was a closeted homosexual who did everything in his power to undermine the rights of homosexuals. Talk about living a lie. Cohn feasted on power and used the lie to gain more power. Cohn was a the “right hand man” in inciting the Red Scare during the days of Joseph McCarthy in the 50s.
Trump’s a good one for doubling down on lies. “Haitians in Springfield, Ohio eating dogs and cats” is a great example. Mike Dewine, the Republican governor, had to squelch the lie in order to protect Haitians who are here legally and filling positions that no one else would accept. The conspiracy theories are as outrageous like claims that “liberals caused the recent hurricanes with their ability to change weather patterns.”
Scripture states that the only damnable, blasphemous offense is against the Holy Spirit. In other words, lying is almost unforgiveable because it creates a chasm from the individual and self that perpetuates injustice. People lose their sense of self and are trapped in the illusion. They lose a sense of truth and it perpetuates a warped perception of reality and it’s almost impossible to find their way back to truth.
Circus carnies are still with us. Snake oil salesmen. People want to believe them because they think it’s easier for them to buy in rather than think through what they’re being sold. Sadly, they refuse to meet the lie and address it. They refuse to see it for what it is. They like the game and the lies they’ve been told because for some it makes life more interesting. They get a high from it. The ”alternative facts” that are accepted re-write history and this denial creates more problems.
We see the pathos in people like Trump. I’ve talked to people who say “that’s just who he is.” Yeah, but you don’t have to accept that and support it. He’s already sowing the seeds of lies to compensate for if he loses.
Unfortunately, the lies we create become the very thing that destroys us. Stating there is “an enemy from within” and using fascist rhetoric that charges others to violence creates an unsettling state of affairs in our society aside from the fact that it creates more division. Saying the “election was rigged” when every court shot down the lie and telling followers that the VP was being irresponsible for carrying out his duties and certifying the vote caused problems for Vice President Pence on January 6th. It forced him to run for his life and hide for cover. The lies we accept today will be our undoing tomorrow – it’s guaranteed.
This election people are coming to terms with what people will say to get elected. Guys like Trump are making despicable statements and inciting more lies to get what they need. The lie of the mind being created today will be the undoing of our children’s futures if we’re not careful.
spirit beat 