I’m beginning my decade-long task
To remain in this humming-bird mask.
As to how I’ll get by
When I can’t even fly
Most folk are too frightened to ask.

The shaman is able to escape humanity – its ailments and anguish – by trance experiences of other species’ lives. The next-best thing, for us regular types, is a mask of some sort. Don’t let the crowd’s pusillanimous gawping unsettle you or cause you to question – for a single moment – the purpose, efficacy, or duration of your chosen path.