After the Masquerade
1998
The masquerade here refers to the fleeting disguise of youth and of temporal beauty and worth. The young woman sits and ponders her own journey through the masquerade of life. Like the bouquet of flowers, her physical beauty is in full bloom for all to admire, but soon those things that are pleasing only to the physical senses shrivel and fade away.
If these earthly things shall all pass away, then placing undue value and importance on them is as foolish as believing that the activities of a masquerade or a carnival have some enduring importance in our lives.
Discovering the grand illusion of such temporal things need not be discouraging, depressing, or disappointing – far from it. Observe the young woman. Her eyes are closed and yet she is beginning to see with her spiritual eyes. She is awakening to a new vision of things as they really are. She sees that “real life” goes beyond the superficial and transcends the material world. That clear and uncluttered sight begins to bring a wonderful kind of rest and repose. A peaceful smile begins to cross her face – the masquerade is over!
Greg Olsen
by Greg Olsen