When the Mask Slips

Increasingly I have been getting tired of the circus. It's become a stage where "professional" carnival workers perform, each donning carefully crafted masks. I've learned the hard way that not everyone who smiles at you has your best interests at heart.

The pain of dealing with two-faced colleagues isn't just about their actions; it's about the betrayal of trust. These are people you work alongside, people you sometimes lean on during difficult days. Yet, behind closed doors, they twist your words, undermine your efforts, or speak ill of you to others.

I've often wondered what drives this reaction towards each other.

Is it insecurity?

A need to climb the ladder at any cost?

Or perhaps they believe this is just how the game is played.

Whatever the reason, the result is the same: a workplace that feels colder, less secure, and lonelier. There's a peculiar strength that comes from facing this kind of duplicity. It forces you to protect your boundaries and to find solace in the rare, genuine connections that do exist.

It does take its toll on the brain though. There are days when the weight of it all makes you question my path. Why should I give all to a place where trust is a fragile, fleeting thing?

I take solace in the knowledge their behaviour says more about them than it does about you. And one day, when their masks inevitably slips, the clown they are will become apparent to all.