The public persona as mask

A persona is the image you present to the world. It comes from a Latin word which originally referred to a theatrical mask. 🎭

We all wear many masks. It’s natural.  After all, social graces and defense mechanisms implore us to show up differently for our grandma than our boss or lover. 👵

But there is a danger in over-identifying with the mask. A persona is NOT the authentic self. Instead, the mask is donned in favor of the audience versus the performer. If you believe you ARE the persona, then you disavow the needs and reality of the authentic self, your TRUE SELF. Jungian Analyst Marion Woodman says of people who believe they are simply the image they outwardly present that, “they build a body beautiful that gestures and performs, cut off from instinctual and imaginative roots... Until the abandoned soul is allowed to return from exile, there is no possibility of physical or spiritual peace.” It’s a bitter thing, to become a shell in service of something one dimensional. 🦪

Social Media is a fascinating case study in the art of the persona. We can all agree that it permits varying degrees of persona creation and implementation. If it’s dangerous for an individual to over-identify with a persona, what are the implications for the Other who “buys into” the act? Are we conscious of the complexity of all those we perceive and realize what we witness is the mere tip of an iceberg? It’s why I struggle with labels and cancel culture. You are NOT a filtered photo or a curated sound byte or that clever thing you did on your best day ever. No less are you that dumb thing you did on your worst day ever. You are so much more than that. You are whole. 🔗

"Alignment” - just a buzz word?

I answer that question with an affirmative “NO!”

... But I can see how it might be perceived that way.

Here is one example of how I’ve seen alignment play out in my life: I applied for several grad schools, but really... it came down to two. Two different locations, two different student population sizes, one with a bit more national prestige thanks to football. I was initially very drawn to the smaller school, but the “shininess” of the other was alluring. How could I choose? Both offered me placement. Besides the initial gut “knowing”, new variables presented themselves. The smaller school  made it so easy to secure a graduate assistantship. That meant avoiding student loans- the number one criteria of importance for me. They asked thought provoking questions during the interview. The faculty and current students graciously answered all of my questions as I followed up, pondering what was for “the best”. It was so... easy! I felt the fit. To do anything else would have been working against the confluence of knowing.

Alignment means you don’t have to use sheer willpower alone to make something happen. Don’t get it twisted: I’m not dogging “hard work”. No, it’s more nuanced than that. We all know the difference between fitting a square peg in a round hole and the work it takes to progress steadily towards a goal.

I think alignment is aided by tools of discernment and intuition. If you’re listening, really heartfelt listening- the enticements or distractions that exist outside of you lose power.

How have you experienced alignment in your life?

The Sabbath of Now

“For me, celebrating Sabbath is remembering what’s really important. I slow down, open and receive.”

When I came across this passage, I realized, “Sabbath! THAT! That’s happening— right now!” Or it could be, depending on your approach. 

The tradition of Sabbath is about slowing down after a period of extensive labor. The Sabbath honors the profound and essential wisdom of dormancy. One might consider the experience of sheltering-in-place and self sequestering as a type of Sabbath. Voluntarily or not, many are lost in the throes of deep quiet and stillness. And if you're accustomed to living your life entirely outwardly, this can be a disconcerting experience. The isolation can make one feel helpless and anxious. 

The first line of defense for many has been the internet. Everyone is spending A LOT more time staring at a tiny, brightly lit screen for both work and leisure. Nonetheless, there are psychological drawbacks to increased screen time. There is also reason to be concerned about a phenomenon called "computer-related eye fatigue", which results from prolonged computer use. Although Zoom and social media have provided an almost adequate facsimile for good ol’ fashioned socializing, wasting mindless hours on the internet is not quite the most effective way to honor the Sabbath of Now. 

For context, let's examine the ancient concept of the Sabbath. The phrase, "Remember the Sabbath" is a spiritual precept recognized in many of the world religions and spiritual traditions. To yield to the expectation of honoring the Sabbath was cut and dry. The Torah describes disobedience to the command to honor the Sabbath day as punishable by death. The Sabbath was taken as seriously as the ethical prohibitions towards killing, stealing and lying. It was nothing to sneeze at and certainly not something you ignored in the service of barreling towards a self-interested outcome. 

One might consider that in modernity we have arrived at the opposite side of the spectrum. Appearing to be busy is now a type of social currency. A few years ago I came across an article in the Atlantic titled: ‘Ugh I’m So Busy’: A Status Symbol for Our Time. In it, the author illustrates that the workaholic lifestyle comes with prestige. The widely held American perception is that a busy person possesses desirable human capital characteristics including ambition and competence. It’s no wonder that many are feeling adrift or overwhelmed by existential malaise currently when so much social and cultural weight has been placed upon the hours that are filled by action. 

What if instead of wishing that the world would just go back to normal so that we can forget about this strange time, that instead we remember how to relish the simplicity of stillness? There are longings and lessons inside of you that are normally very hard to hear when competing for the brain real estate of your stream of consciousness. What if there is something long forgotten to come back to in this moment? What if there is something new - a better way of living, a unique approach, a novel idea that we couldn’t see before because we were so bogged down?

"Who can make the muddy water clear?" asks the Tao Te Ching. "But if allowed to remain still, it will gradually become clear of itself."

"Where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence." Joseph Campbell