A parable

Once upon a time, a woman was called upon to be the guest conductor for one piece of music at a band concert. The evening was progressing well, and it became time for the woman to step out on the stage, take her bow, and lead the musicians. The woman was in her dressing room, surveying her attire, and noticed that her headpiece had slipped a little. She adjusted it, prepared to walk out, and it had slipped again. Determined, the woman clamped it to her head tighter and began to walk down the long hall toward the stage. "You look beautiful!" an onlooker shouted at her.

She had not walked very far down the hall way, when the headpiece (something resembling a crown), loosely fell forward and covered her forehead. Stepping into a restroom along the hallway, the woman looked in the mirror and was horrified to discover that the headpiece had slipped so far that the wig attached to the headpiece was laying to one side, revealing the bald skin on the top of her head.

"I can't let them see that I'm bald!", she panicked. She again attached the headpiece, which had somehow become heavier. She positioned the wig, and when it was tight enough that she didn't think it would slip again, she left the restroom. A woman passing by commented, "What beautiful hair you have!", and smiled at her. Almost to the stage, her adornment again fell, and ducking into yet another restroom, she removed it altogether and shook her head, causing the hair around the fringes of her scalp to fall around her shoulders. "Oh, I feel so much better without this headpiece," she thought. "If I didn't wear it, I could really relax and enjoy conducting this music without worrying about it so much." She paused. "But then, they'll know I'm bald, and I can't let them see me."

What to do? She stood there for a moment, listening to the instruments warm up and tune, then the musicians waited, quietly. There was an expectant feeling in the air as many waited for her to appear. By now, the headpiece and wig were heavy and cumbersome. She placed it upon her head and took two steps toward the door.