The Hide “N” Seek Game

I, for one, do.

In life, we often mask ourselves with different personalities when we meet different type of people.

Before you try to retort, try thinking whether something similar like this has happened:

- – - – -

If someone bumped into you by mistake on the street causing you to drop all your things, they apologize, you politely say “It’s okay.”

If someone in your family for instance, your kids, parents or your siblings, steps on your foot, they apologize but you shout:”Are you blind?”

- – - – -

Yes, we all wear masks to disguise our real thoughts & emotions. However, some people tend to mask themselves because they want to keep a distance between the both of you. Why though? Is it perhaps they have the difficulty to express themselves? Or is there something else?

I have a theory of about this. Besides the obvious that these people have difficulty expressing themselves & that they are not willing to open their hearts to you, I reckon that they are actually afraid.

They are afraid of being read like a book. They are afraid that you will know their thoughts and see through their every emotion & action. They are afraid that you will know what they are hiding, their deepest secrets. Not that they are serial killers or sociopaths, it might just be that they are afraid of what others will think of them once people fully understand them.

They are afraid that people might misunderstand them. They are afraid of opening up because of events which occurred in the past. They might have been hurt so deeply that they think by keeping a distance, they will always know what emotions to give or words to say. They are afraid friends might dislike them for who they really are. They are afraid that people couldn’t accept their real selves. It might be that they have a secret they want to hide because people will judge them base on that secret.

Therefore, they play the hide ‘n’ seek game. They want to be sought but they are afraid to be caught. They would think many steps forward, so they will always have the best solution to every scenario, so they are always prepared, so they wouldn’t be caught. No doubt its tiring. Deep down, they want people to know who they are, yet they are afraid that people will reject them for who they really are. The irony is undeniable.

Maybe you have met someone like that, maybe you haven’t. However, if you truly want to know them, the only way you can break that barrier is to prove that you don’t mind. Of course, you will need to be prepared, have an open heart, be gentle & sensitive. It’s hard for them, since its a difficult decision as they risk losing you & revealing their secret. Show that you are sincere & you truly want to get to know their real selves. Prove to them that nothing is going to color your opinion of them, that you will accept them & love them no matter who they really are or what they turn out to reveal.

And if they finally give you the key to their heart, promise that you will guard it & protect it with all your might. Because these are the people who is going to give you their all, treasure your relationship, trust you & truly love you no matter what happens in the future.