Do you cover their face with your own?

You've been squinting so long at the fine print, trying to find a loophole or a lie, that you've forgotten how to open your eyes and see the whole picture. ~ Mama Shey

Some people believe that one moment captures who we are - and they never let us grow out of that moment.
That's a  problem.

   Magritte's mother was found in the river with her dress up around her face. The  questions are:  how do we know  it was suicide, and why did she do it? Magritte went on to paint possibly hundreds of portraits involving faceless subjects. I believe the psychology behind these images could be a fascinating study. What if we assume that Magritte was making a grand statement about individuality rather than just harboring a macabre memory of his mother.
   What do we assume when we notice someone covering their face? Some of us see guilt, as if we are hiding our face from G-d. Others may see it as a means of protection. Some may see it as wanting anonymity.
What could Magritte's family have seen upon finding the mother with her face covered? Shame, mercy?  What could be the point of being faceless?   When you look at me do you see more than a face? If you take away my face, how do you see me, how do you find me in a sea of faceless women? Is  there something about my essence that you recognize?    To have your face covered can be a way of saying, "You never saw me anyway."
   As with paintings, we usually only see the surface. Magritte has a wonderfully powerful painting of a man looking in his mirror, seeing the reflection of his own back.  How often do we look in the mirror and see what we need to see in order to function...how often do we skew our own reality to save face? What are we hiding from?
   Take the example of a friend whose pet dies. Do you project your feelings about your pet onto them? Do you find yourself saying,"Well if my Rover died, I would be heartbroken." It's not really about you or your feelings..stop projecting. Do  you allow your friend to have emotions, desires, and wants that are foreign to you, or do you just assume everybody feels like you?  Do you cover their face with your own?  Do you take away their life and experiences thereby negating all their feelings?
   Short sighted people, or people with tunnel vision never realize that behind each face is a different story, unique feelings and unique experiences.  We are not cookie cut-outs that require the same attention. Take away the mouths that eat, the ears that hear, and the nose that smells, and you have a distinct personality. A true individual, full of life, color, wit, pain, secrets. Isn't it time we stopped judging people by our own life experiences and started meeting them at their own?
     Reality is only what you perceive. Have you ever come upon the scene of a crime and listened to 5 different people tell 5 different stories...anger, sadness, aggression can all be confused. Joy and sadness can often be confused. We each look at things in different ways. We perceive things and compare them to  our past experiences.  Your reality is much different than mine.
   If you have never experienced some one's life much less taken the time to hear their stories, then how can you "just know" that you're right? Take the face away and feel. Really see someone , or really see yourself for who we are. Your face is different than mine, so why  do I assume you are,  in any way,  like me ?