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In the beginning， there were just faces. As humanity emerged， we connected and formed social relations by interacting with the living matter around the eyes and mouth. The fine lines of facial expressions send messages of affection and grief and determine situations in terms of mood or propriety. We employ sensitivity to expand social interfaces. We can read faces， and then manipulation sets in and we try to control our expressions. By mastering cosmetics， nuances can be emphasized or muted with an extra stroke here， a dot there， or an artful shade. The moist glittering of open eyes shows a person is alive.
Sometimes， it is improper to exhibit the face， mouth， or eyes to others. In that case， glasses come in handy， or a beard， long hair， and a piece of cloth. Materials can mitigate the immediate intimacy of human contact. Such devices introduce structure into open space， provide distance， allow space to breathe， position ourselves， and establish a perspective to negotiate our eyes in relation to one another. We want to keep face， not necessarily a mugshot.
In the summer of 2019， I was having lunch with two philosopher colleagues in Hong Kong. While enjoying a breathtaking bird’s-eye view across Victoria Harbor， our discussion inadvertently turned to the social abyss that was building below us， where political unrest had been continuing for several weeks. We argued over what it means to wear a face mask—four months before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19. Only after the pandemic broke out did I realize that not much of what I knew about masks would endure a test of cross-cultural enquiry.
Partial face masks have been a common sight in certain East Asian locales for decades. Orally transmitted diseases including strains of the flu and SARS struck the region. Population density and individual susceptibility made it prudent for citizens to don face masks， mainly for health reasons. After my earlier years in Western Europe characterized by clean air environments and with low prevalence of respiratory worries， except for tobacco or vocational hazards， wearing face masks around struck me as odd， somehow overdone. My education as a political citizen had kindled an image of masks in the public sphere as emblematic for state force and violent protest. Since the 1970s， German authorities have required everyone to show their faces to qualify for legitimate democratic expression. Laws have often been enforced against facial disguises in public spaces. The main concern was black-clad rebel archetypes demonstrating their ironic heroism. They were so committed to the cause that they would die for it， but did not admit publicly to advocate for it. Irony seemed too weak to work for the aggression seething through such a masquerade. Otherwise， in Europe， masks were found mostly in the arts or in folk customs such as carnivals， where they were used according to their cultural prescription.
Gradually， the meaning of masks was blurred and lost specific contextual significance. Like other traditional artifacts， masks are now employed promiscuously， either as commercial lifestyle gadgets， fancy items， or carried on with a clear conventional purpose. Once again， globalized modernity makes planning for tomorrow inconvenient. In the absence of trans-cultural master narratives， we need to focus on contextual subtleties and actively ascertain the heart of the matter.
COVID-19 presents a rather unwelcome opportunity to revisit the meaning of “the mask”considering changing social conditions around the human face and modern perspectives of humanity. Increased global migration and density of all bio-matter urge us to redefine the boundaries regarding who we are and what behavior bio-social evolution requires from us. We only have one world， so we have nowhere to hide from the consequences of our own actions as humans. New holistic approaches have challenged our understanding of what to mask and what to face.
There is no universal code on masks within the domains of either medical or social application. But open enquiry remains， not as to whether， but on how the virtues of respect， consideration， modesty， care， and decency should be observed. Such conservative values have been shunned in dominant Western European discourse and defamed as oppressive and anti-individualistic since the 1970s. It may be time to dust them off and find new use for them， not for medical masks， but to address renewed urgency to develop diplomacy with moral integrity in societies and around the globe. A new world will take shape only after we overcome feeble forms of deceit， accusation and denial—the transparent ineptness of rituals rooted in customs of 19th-century Europe—dancing hollow masks.
When the mask displays our search for meaning and not its end， life can go on. And we can face the future.
Sometimes， it is improper to exhibit the face， mouth， or eyes to others. In that case， glasses come in handy， or a beard， long hair， and a piece of cloth. Materials can mitigate the immediate intimacy of human contact. Such devices introduce structure into open space， provide distance， allow space to breathe， position ourselves， and establish a perspective to negotiate our eyes in relation to one another. We want to keep face， not necessarily a mugshot.
In the summer of 2019， I was having lunch with two philosopher colleagues in Hong Kong. While enjoying a breathtaking bird’s-eye view across Victoria Harbor， our discussion inadvertently turned to the social abyss that was building below us， where political unrest had been continuing for several weeks. We argued over what it means to wear a face mask—four months before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19. Only after the pandemic broke out did I realize that not much of what I knew about masks would endure a test of cross-cultural enquiry.
Partial face masks have been a common sight in certain East Asian locales for decades. Orally transmitted diseases including strains of the flu and SARS struck the region. Population density and individual susceptibility made it prudent for citizens to don face masks， mainly for health reasons. After my earlier years in Western Europe characterized by clean air environments and with low prevalence of respiratory worries， except for tobacco or vocational hazards， wearing face masks around struck me as odd， somehow overdone. My education as a political citizen had kindled an image of masks in the public sphere as emblematic for state force and violent protest. Since the 1970s， German authorities have required everyone to show their faces to qualify for legitimate democratic expression. Laws have often been enforced against facial disguises in public spaces. The main concern was black-clad rebel archetypes demonstrating their ironic heroism. They were so committed to the cause that they would die for it， but did not admit publicly to advocate for it. Irony seemed too weak to work for the aggression seething through such a masquerade. Otherwise， in Europe， masks were found mostly in the arts or in folk customs such as carnivals， where they were used according to their cultural prescription.
Gradually， the meaning of masks was blurred and lost specific contextual significance. Like other traditional artifacts， masks are now employed promiscuously， either as commercial lifestyle gadgets， fancy items， or carried on with a clear conventional purpose. Once again， globalized modernity makes planning for tomorrow inconvenient. In the absence of trans-cultural master narratives， we need to focus on contextual subtleties and actively ascertain the heart of the matter.
COVID-19 presents a rather unwelcome opportunity to revisit the meaning of “the mask”considering changing social conditions around the human face and modern perspectives of humanity. Increased global migration and density of all bio-matter urge us to redefine the boundaries regarding who we are and what behavior bio-social evolution requires from us. We only have one world， so we have nowhere to hide from the consequences of our own actions as humans. New holistic approaches have challenged our understanding of what to mask and what to face.
There is no universal code on masks within the domains of either medical or social application. But open enquiry remains， not as to whether， but on how the virtues of respect， consideration， modesty， care， and decency should be observed. Such conservative values have been shunned in dominant Western European discourse and defamed as oppressive and anti-individualistic since the 1970s. It may be time to dust them off and find new use for them， not for medical masks， but to address renewed urgency to develop diplomacy with moral integrity in societies and around the globe. A new world will take shape only after we overcome feeble forms of deceit， accusation and denial—the transparent ineptness of rituals rooted in customs of 19th-century Europe—dancing hollow masks.
When the mask displays our search for meaning and not its end， life can go on. And we can face the future.