This mask depicts the core figures, concerns, psychological states and interests which have defined my life. I constantly fluctuate between optimism and pessimism, contemplation and activity, and idealism and realism. First, the figures I chose to represent the general worldviews and aspirations I oscillate between are Ezra Klein, Maimonides and Nietzsche. Ezra Klein represents the part of me that wants to change the world for the better. He is a policy reporter and journalist who advocates for the political viewpoint that he believes to be most conducive to social flourishing. Klein represents the moments where I feel most idealistic about my potential to improve the world as a political figure. Maimonides represents the part of me that wants to withdraw from the political world and focus on scholarship and teaching. As one of the great expositors of Jewish law and philosophy, his works have taught generations of students. Maimonides represents the moments where I yearn for a contemplative life of study. Nieztsche on the other hand represents the part of me that desires greatness and power either for its own sake, or for selfish reasons. His conception of “master morality” has at times greatly influenced the approach I take to the world. Nieztsche represents the moments where I feel extremely ambitious about rising to the top of whatever endeavor I am pursuing. Below the three figures is the weight of ideology, which is represented as letters in “rock form.” This portion displays a primary concern in my life: finding the “correct” ideology. Much of the news I consume and books I have read about politics have been part of my lifelong ambition to find the right answer to every policy question. This quest for truth, while giving me something to do, has been a very difficult weight to bear. I have been distressed over not having the right answer to certain questions and have constantly changed my mind. What I have realized and must come to terms with is that the nuances of the world make finding one absolutely correct ideology basically impossible. Below the eyes, there is a duality between optimism and pessimism. One side shows the myth of Sisyphus with a man pushing a boulder up a mountain. This represents the moments where I feel like life is meaningless and futile. The other side shows a man at the top of a mountain. This portion represents the moments where I feel a sense of transcendent meaning, which usually occurs when I connect an accomplishment of mine to some conception of greatness. Lastly, my primary interests are displayed beneath the lips, which are reading and writing. The redness of the mask conveys a sense of anxiety, which permeates my mind due to my constant fluctuation between different philosophies and viewpoints. The blue of the lips conveys solitude. The lines under the eyes are meant to reflect both weariness-in relation to my anxiety-and aging. My bouncing between various views has made me feel as though I have lived many different lives and am an “old soul.”

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.