If tonight is like most Halloweens we won't see many trick-or-treaters at our house. We live on a busy road, no sidewalk, and there are other neighborhoods where kids can more easily get a haul of candy. Usually the ones who stop by are friends who make a special effort to ring our doorbell. Kathy and I enjoy seeing the youngsters all decked out. Generally, in spite of their masks, we know exactly who they are.
Masks are common these days, and it's not just because of Halloween. The political season is also going full-bore. Every candidate who is anybody at all has a cadre of handlers who try to make sure that their candidate is never seen or heard without the "benefit" of a mask. These consultants and their counsel remind me of a cynical comment that I heard attributed to the late George Burns, "People are impressed with sincerity. If you learn to fake that, you've got it made." Pollsters, and consultants stick their fingers into the breeze of popular opinion and then try to make their candidate appear to be what they think the public wants them to be. The right clothes, being seen in the right place, having an adoring (often another level of mask wearing) spouse by their side--cute kids/grandkids don't hurt, and even sporting the right haircut are seen as essential elements of politics. In other words--spoken with an element of cynicism--wear the right mask, in such a way that it appears to not be a masquerade, and you will get elected.
I find it interesting that much of what politicians are trying to appear to be (I'm not saying there are no sincere politicians, but I am speaking of them as a group.), is what we as God's people ought to be in reality.
- Honest
- Sincere
- Compassionate
- Responsible
- Courageous
It is common for folk to rhetorically cry out, "Take the mask off!" Let's think about that one. Maybe the shock will be too great. Perhaps we ought to say, "Become something fit to see, then take the mask off."
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