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Costumes
     Thu 16 Oct 2008 1:39pm
The Halloween season is here and many people enjoy  the opportunity to dress up in costumes. From heroes to  scary monsters, people use Halloween as a chance to  explore different personae. We are free to play dress-up  without having to worry about what others will think. But  what about the costumes and masks we wear everyday?  You know – the clothes, the makeup, and the other  grooming tricks we use to create an “image”. What  would happen if we started experimenting with our  everyday costumes?    

We all know there are societal rules about the way we  look. Although there are different “everyday” costumes  and masks to choose from, people often treat us based  on how we look. What about when our appearance can’t  be changed easily?     

My appearance has always made me look young for my  age. Since youthfulness is a valued trait in our society, it  has never bothered me. Actually, I loved when three  different people recently thought I was fifteen years  younger than I am. But now I wonder what if the trait was  something not valued in our society. I wouldn’t love that.  And whether the traits are considered good or bad, what  assumptions accompany the mistaken conclusions?   

I have always thought our society’s focus on image is  too much like judging a book by its cover. I wonder how  our Unitarian Universalist faith can inspire us to see  beyond images to what really matters. Many of our  principles relate to this ideal very well ... like respecting  all people and acceptance of our diversity as we come  together. We will share an example of putting these  principles in action during our intergenerational service  on November 9th. Every November, Teaching Tolerance  sponsors “Mix It Up Day” in schools across the country.  The simple but significant idea is to break your usual  social boundaries to have lunch with someone who  seems different from you. The project focuses on racial  barriers, but challenging other social rules could certainly  be considered too ... like talking to people who are  disabled or a different religion or another class. In doing  so, social walls come down and friendships are formed.  Why limit this important work to children in schools?  What can we do individually in our own lives to make a  similar difference? And what can we do together in our  community?    

• Loving blessings,   
  
• Roberta 
  

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