Iron-ATB

When we see Ironman we see a hero with no defects or weak spots. He's cool, sleek and powerful. What hides beneath the impenetrable mask?

In reality, the outfit is just an exoskeleton. Inside the shell, there is a man with all his feelings bottled up. Do we not sometimes don our mask in order to hide our true feelings in order to avoid getting hurt? People might see us as an outgoing person with not a care in the world but the truth might be completely different. We might be hurting inside and have no real desire to go through what appears to be an uneventful day. Hanging out with friends and doing different activities helps to keep our mind distracted but we still feel hollow... incomplete. How many people can really see what's going within us?

Do we just use the armor as a crutch in order to affront the day? Does wearing the armor help us feel better? Are we like Tony Stark in the way that by using the shell we can feel invincible only if it lasts a few moments? We know that in the end we are vulnerable. We can't deny that it is a defense mechanism, we've been hurt before and we become more weary of the next situations in which pain may be inflicted. Can we heal from the exterior inwards? Maybe having a stronger exterior image helps us build more confidence. I highly doubt it. We can fool others but we can never fool ourselves.

I truly believe that we have to heal inwards first. While this slow process takes place, I'll be using the exoskeleton for a while hoping that I can heal soon and don't become addicted to the mask. After all, is it not better when we can show everybody who we really are? Being our true selves gives us freedom.