Would you feel cheated if you ever went to a theme party where everyone came dressed in black formals and you went wearing distressed denims and Ts ? Feeling completely out of place, what if you later realise that the host had tacitly embarrassed you ? He actually remained silent and rebuffed responding to you with a friendly shrug, when you had asked - what to wear .... ?
How would you feel ??? They all knew and you felt awkward and embarrassed !!
You would see a hidden agenda .... trust would immediately erode, moreso if present in the party was someone who knew you personally or you particularly respected. The thought of getting even-steven with the host hits you foremost thus triggering a long drawn tacit battle of distrust.
Sometimes in life, we realise that foolishly we confide and open up to discuss issues, share our true sentiments, make raw comments and openly express our authentic opinions about people, things, issues, friends and family exactly as we see and feel them .... whereas, the people you confide in , unknown to you, transact reciprocally 'masks-on' and give you cagey, crafty and shrewd views, sharing their curated and often wrong or false opinions rather than true views.
Personally, looking back, it is such a big let-down .... I see it happening all the time in the Corporate offices and Board Rooms with colleagues pretending to be real friends having caused career disasters.
The world gets to be so complicated because everybody transacts masks-on and the one who doesn't is made to feel like an ignoramus block-head who habitually performs a full-monty to disaster.
No one plays the game face on. Everyone is masked, counter masked and double masked.
How I wish leadership, kinship and friendships appreciate the value of authenticity much more than what they do. What they gain transacting masks-on is frugal compared to what value they ultimately lose.