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Personality Development is NOT Character Building
Personality by definition comes from the ancient word 'persona'
meaning a mask. It was in the old Greek tragedy, when the actors used
to have masks depicting the various characters they were playing, that
we have the word 'personality', which by inherent definition means,
we are trying to appear as something we are not. So the modern connotation,
"He has a nice personality", is a suspect word. If only, people
really know what personality means, they would not use the word so much.
Because it is like saying, "He appears rich!" Now, we don't
say that to a rich man. Or, "He appears educated!", to an
educated man. So, personality means, "He appears to be something
which he is not!" When you say a man has a good personality, it
means that: "I say, the fellow looks to be something which he is
not!" "He appears good, may be he is bad!" So, personality
by definition is something we put on outside, which we are not inside.
So we are all parading under different masks, and I dare say, the professional
mask is one of them. When a doctor comes home, he is no longer a doctor.
He is a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a son of
his father. Where is this personality of the doctor? It is left at the
doorstep, you see. When he goes out, putting on his Burberry and his
top hat and his briefcase in hand, he is the doctor again. It is like
the stage - you know, a man walks onto the stage and he is strutting.
As Shakespeare said, "All the world is but a stage, and all men
and women are nothing but actors."
So personality is false. Character is truth, it is reality, it is something
you have to build from scratch. Spiritual science says, "My dear
friend, you are born as a human being. If you are born as animal you
have no choice. There is no ability to exercise your intelligence, or
your choice, or even any selective procedures. We are subjected to instinctive
drives. An animal is not in control of itself." So try to be human,
try to be what you are inside, not flaunt yourself outside. Do away
with personality development and start with character development.
There are two sides to our character, to our behaviour: one, which
we have as a human being and one which we have to openly show outside
in our work, in our contacts with the public, what we call our image.
Now in some professions, in some calling, in some fields of activity,
there seems to be - at least that is the accepted public theory or feeling
- the need for greater and greater divorce between what we are and what
we have to appear to be: especially in professions or calling where
an essentially gentle person, one who is very humane in his outlook,
charitable by disposition, loving, kind, affectionate has to put on
fierce airs in the name of discipline.
Now it is my submission that it is an image, it is a falsity and it
is a lie. So, in any system where we have been drawing upon some symbol
of authority which is not inherently in us, it is a suspicious thing.
And those who depend on this prop to their personalities, some day they
are going to collapse under situations which they would find very detrimental
to their health, wealth and most of all to their egos. Because these
things only build up our ego, without building up our character. This
is true of any situation where an individual has to fight himself in
the carrying out of his job, in the fulfillment of his responsibilities.
So spirituality says, 'integrate yourself'.
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