Unmasking the Faces of Human Existence

There are more than seven billion people all over the world and the number is still growing every minute. Within that numerical figure, there are some of us who must look exactly the same and a few look almost similar to each other. But have you ever imagined how amazing it is to find billions of people with faces that look differently from each other? Is it a mystery? Or a miracle?

The sad thing is, this mind-boggling reality will always keep me in awe. That could probably be the reason why I have this little idiosyncrasy to analyze the people I see around and eventually ask myself what could be their goals in life? Do we have the same purpose? But for me, here’s the fun thing about walking around in this jam-packed world. I’ve got to feed my curiosity about human existence and the faces and styles of people make me even more inquisitive. Not only I found it thought-provoking, but also inspirational.

Here, I would like to recount my observations on the faces of human existence and how they kindle my imagination with its conundrum. For me, they are not mediocre creations, but masterpieces that would always challenge my psyche. I know you see them every day, but I am uncertain if you have found them interesting to dissect and understand. Moreover, I am unsure if you have found a bit of your time to appreciate them—or fathom the depths of their existence.

She wears high-heeled shoes, no stockings, light yellow skirt, and a multicolored blouse that covers her russet-colored brassiere. A pearl necklace and complementary earrings give accent to her simple, lightly made-up face—a red lipstick, soft blusher, a little extended mascara, and an almost unnoticeable but lovely eye shadow. Her healthy hair is well brushed with unadorned dark clips, making her even more beautiful and cute despite the fact that she is struggling to carry her laptop bag and two other bags—I wonder why ladies always bring several bags.

He wears black rubber shoes which do not complement his slacks and office uniform. If he is wearing an undershirt, I can’t figure it out. I try to get the brand of his wrist watch, but he might think I will rob him so I decided not to dig on the details. Obviously, he is listening to his kind of music over his iPod but what makes him stand out in the crowd is the enormous dark pink Sony headset that seems to swathe his small unblemished face. And, his backpack appears like a mine of gold bars—heavy and bulky—and don’t be surprised, I will see him with his black umbrella under the sullen sun later.

From those two noticeable personalities, I find myself in the world where visages of human existence unmask themselves right before my eyes. I see them in the young scholars talking about their draining pedagogic exploit; in a woman trying to squeeze her shopping bags; in an old rugged man who stinks on his tattered clothes and dirt-stained skin; in the street children begging for alms; in an old man who, despite his age, still tries to muster all his strength to fix a busted tire; in a jeepney barker who screams on top of his lungs to draw passengers in; in the sexy lady who tries to pull her very short mini skirt down to her knees even if she knew it is impossible; in the young professionals talking about new technology and state-of-the-art tools and gadgets; and in myself, who tries to understand how all these people differ from each other.

Very corpulent, chubby, sexy, fit, lean, emaciated, old-fashioned, conventional, hip, fashionable, beautiful, average, ugly, flawless, baby-faced, scarred face, and many other different features. Every day, I see many of them—at work, on the streets, on the jeepney, at the malls, at the canteen; everywhere.

They may have different faces. They may be distinct from each other—physically, and in all many other aspects. They may have different dreams and ambitions. And each one of them might serve a purpose unique from the others. They may give meaning to life in another way. But I still believe that they have the same common goal—SUCCESS and a BETTER LIFE. They are different in so many ways, but they are still the same beautiful beings in their own unique ways.