Are We Happy Plastic People?

The first line of the chorus of the song "Stained Glass Masquerade" by Casting Crowns asks the question that many of us wonder about our peers. And if we are not asking that question, maybe should we?

Popular culture and entertainment is abuzz with shows, movies, and literature telling us to look into ourselves and let our true personalities show, get help with issues we are dealing with, and to look at others with the idea that don't know everything that may be going on in their lives. But, when I look around our schools and communities today, nobody seems to be taking that message to heart. Why?

At first glance, the song "Stained Glass Masquerade" seems to be a contemporary Christian song telling listeners to look down and see if they are hiding themselves from God and other Christians who can help them deal with their problems. When looked at from a broader perspective, we see the song telling listeners, Christian or not, to realize that the people around us have open hearts and minds to hear our problems, and help us get through them. So that "maybe then we close the curtain, on this stained glass masquerade."

If there are so many different sources like "Stained Glass Masquerade" telling listeners they are not alone in their struggles, and encouraging them to let God and others help them through their problems, why do we still see suicides, murders, and depression resulting from unresolved issues? Why is society still filled with people who think they need to huddle under a blanket and put on the facade of happiness for the whole world to believe, or see through?

The answer to this question can be very simple, and for some, very complex. In my personal views and experiences, I know that life is easier, for me, by letting my peers and close confidants know my issues and being open to their help for me. More importantly however, for me personally, is the confidence in my faith and willingness to turn my problems over to God. For those who do not believe Christianity, to each his own. Just know that life is always easier when we share our burdens with those we trust, and take off our masks, to show the world who we truly are. And if you are still not convinced of this reader, I ask you the simple question, what do you have to loose?

"And if the invitation's open,
To every heart that has been broken,
Maybe then we close the curtain,
On this Stained Glass Masquerade."

-Casting Crowns

Shall we cover, or Correct?

Bad breath is a nightmare, a menace, a plague that frequently strikes down some of the best and brightest of all generations. This daily strip of Zits illustrates this problem that many of us come across at the most inconvenient times. "Oh no, I have bad breath... Lets get a mint... Oh no, now my bad breath is minty!" Trying to cover up issues doesn't solve any problems. The only product that results from covering up a issue is this: a covered up issue.

Looking at the strip of Zits on the surface I see an average teenager, confronted with the common problem of bad breath, and like any other human being would do, he tries to drown his bad breath with the more strong scent of mint. Sadly however, Jeremy (this "he" I have been speaking of) realizes that all swallowing a whole box of mints got him was minty smelling bad breath. The simple conclusion one can draw from this comic strip is this: Mints don't fix bad breath. Brush your teeth.

Little do readers realize, the conclusion drawn from that one situation can not only (and most definitely should be) applied to cases of bad breath, it is the extremely simple solution to some of the most major problems humans face as individuals, and a society as a whole. Compare the situation shown in this strip of Zits to life. Any problem we attempt to cover up with lies, or quick fixes, may seem "fixed," but underneath is never truly solved.

The decision is left up to the individual of course, but I know that a clean mouth is happy mouth and (all humor aside) living a clean life and showing everyone I encounter who I truly am is better and more fruitful than leading a sham of a life in a bucket of stink with a nice little bow on top. So the choice is yours: Shall we cover, or Correct?